Oakland warehouse fire News

Families of Oakland Warehouse Fire Victims Sue

Attorneys representing the families of people who died in an Oakland, Calif. warehouse fire that broke out during an unlicensed concert plan to file a lawsuit against the building’s owner and manager. Lawyer Mary Alexander says she is filing the …

Oakland Fire Captain Recommended Building Be Shut Down in January

An Oakland fire captain recommended in January that a building that burned this week, killing four people, should be shut down immediately for safety reasons, but department officials opted to take less drastic measures, records released Friday show. In an …

The Similarities Between 2 Deadly Oakland Fires Are Striking

The similarities between two deadly Oakland, Calif. fires that occurred nearly four months apart are striking: Each involved a dangerously dilapidated building with an absentee landlord and renters desperate for affordable housing in the expensive San Francisco Bay Area. The …

California Lawmakers Grapple with Fatal Oakland Warehouse Fire

California state lawmakers said they are grappling with a growing public safety problem in cities where financially struggling artists are illegally converting warehouses into housing and entertainment venues. The Senate Governance and Finance Committee meeting this week in Sacramento was …

Smoke Inhalation Cause of Death of All 36 Victims Oakland Warehouse Fire

Investigators say smoke inhalation killed all 36 victims of a fire at a party at an Oakland warehouse. The Alameda County coroner confirmed the causes of death Friday for the Dec. 2 fire at the warehouse and artists’ colony known …

Young Victim’s Family Brings First Suit in Deadly California Fire

The parents of a 20-year-old college student who died in the arms of her boyfriend in Oakland’s deadly warehouse fire filed the first lawsuit Friday in the disaster, blaming the building’s owner, chief tenant and others. The lawsuit, filed in …

Some Saw Warning Signs Before Oakland Loft Fire

About six months before Friday’s conflagration that destroyed an Oakland warehouse and killed at least 33 people attending a party, builder Matt Hummel walked into the building and saw danger. Hummel, who has worked on several warehouse renovations in the …

Death Toll from Fire in Oakland Artist Loft Reaches 33

A fire that devastated an Oakland, California, loft building during a weekend dance party has taken at least 33 lives and the toll will likely rise, authorities said on Sunday, as criminal investigators joined recovery teams at the charred ruin. …