Parishioners at churches throughout the Diocese of Oakland, California were asked to remember the souls of at least 36 young people who died on Friday night in a tragic fire at an artists’ warehouse known as the Ghost Ship.
KRON4.com is reporting on a statement issued by Bishop Michael Barber of the Diocese of Oakland shortly after news broke of the devastating fire that claimed the lives of at least 36 people on Friday night. Officials say 24 people are still missing.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with all those who have died or are suffering from the tragic fire of last evening in the Fruitvale neighborhood,” Barber said in a statement. “We also pray for the first responders, medical personnel and others who are aiding the victims and their loved ones. We will be remembering the deceased in our Masses this weekend throughout the Diocese of Oakland. May their souls rest in peace.”
As of this morning, workers were forced to abandon their work in the two-story warehouse due to the instability of the structure. Work crews are planning to shore up an exterior wall and then resume the search for more bodies sometime around noon today.
Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton said at a press conference Monday morning that 70 percent of the building had been searched with more victims likely.
Thus far, only 11 bodies have been identified but only seven names have been released: Sarah Hoda, of Walnut Creek, Cash Askew, 22, David Clines, 35, Travis Hough, 35, and Donna Kellogg, 32, all of Oakland; Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, of Coronado, and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, of Hayward.
The remains of 25 other bodies still need to be identified and the coroner is asking family members of the missing to provide the victims’ DNA to helpin the identification process.
Two survivors of the blaze, who lived in the building, described the harrowing scene to CBS SF Bay Area.
“I was asleep in the back. And I woke up to smoke and an entire wall on fire,” said Carmen Brito, who lived at the warehouse. “I was dreaming when I put on my coat and all of that smoke, and I feel like I woke up on the sidewalk. Seeing this, orange wall of fire. It was, I don’t know. It felt like seeing a monster.”
Ghost Ship warehouse before fire
Brito escaped with nothing more than the clothes on her back.
“There were people trying to put it out with fire extinguishers. We had smoke alarms. We had fire extinguishers. It would have been like trying to put out a bonfire with a water pistol. Like, we tried. And then at some point, we were just trying to get people out of the space,” Brito said.
“It’s awful. It’s awful anytime there’s a tragedy like this. And we should honor those lives that are lost. I don’t think it’s about placing blame on anybody who was there. It’s tragic,” said Nikki Kelber, another resident who escaped with her life.
But blame is definitely being placed on a man named Derick Alemany, 46, who goes by the name of Derick Ion, who is considered the master tenant of the building and the man who ran the 24-hour artist’s collective that was housed in the warehouse.
According to the Los Angeles Times the building was leased by a group calling itself the Satya Yuga Collective, which was managed by Ion who lived on the second floor of the warehouse with his wife and children. He considered himself a “realms creator” and built found-object sculptures and stage sets for musical gatherings.
A social media backlash ensured over a post Ion made to Facebook shortly after the blaze where he bemoaned the loss of his work.
“Everything I worked so hard for is gone,” Ion wrote. “Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound. It’s as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope…. to be standing now in poverty of self-worth,” he posted.
He was roundly chastised for his insensitivity.
Derick Ion (Facebook)
Authorities say that Ion and his partner, Micah, were warned that the building was unsafe, especially for their children. The two were allegedly renting nooks and RV’s to people to use as living spaces even though the building was not approved for working or living purposes.
“Photos from before the fire, show the ground floor filled with beds, tapestries, art work, and wood structures,” CBS reports. “Rescue workers referred to it as a tinder box that likely fueled the fire. There were no sprinklers in the building, and they described the bottom floor as a labyrinth that likely prevented escape.”
Danielle Boudreaux, a former friend of Ion’s told KPIX5 that she had tried to warn him about the conditions at the Ghost Ship.
“On several occasions we stood in front of the building and said Derek this is not safe, your kids are in danger, and his attitude was that I was being hysterical,” Danielle Boudreaux said.
The party, which was held on the second floor on Friday night, had only one exit which was a rickety staircase made of pallets that collapsed and trapped dozens of people in the blaze.
Officials say Ion needed a special permit for Friday night’s party which he didn’t have.
Fire officials say criminal charges are a possibility.
Meanwhile, the owner of the building, Chor N. Ng, believed the warehouse was being used as studio space for an art collective and was unaware that it was being used as a residence.
Ng’s daughter, Eva, 36, said she had been reassured by the lease holder that nobody lived on the premises.
“They confirmed multiple times. They said sometimes some people worked through the night, but that is all,” Ng said.
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