Oakland Warehouse Fire Latest: Final Death Toll is 36; Search Complete

OAKLAND, CA — The final toll for Oakland's deadliest fire in history: 36. Not only is it Oakland's deadliest fire — officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives say it's the deadliest on U.S. soil in 13 years.

Searchers have finished combing the "Ghost Ship" Oakland warehouse for victims. While there has been much speculation over the past day that the cause of the fire was an old refrigerator, the ATF said Wednesday a final report will take several weeks. Jill Snyder of the ATF confirmed that the fire started on the first floor. "The occupants of the building were consumed by smoke before they were able to get out of the building," she said.

An illegal music event was being held upstairs. While there were two staircases in the building, neither led to an exit.

Meanwhile, Oakland has declared a state of emergency in an effort to help those impacted by the fire. Surrounding businesses have been closed since Friday. Some retailers do more than 50 percent of their annual business in December, so the closure could greatly impact the bottom line of the small businesses.

The names of 27 victims have officially been released.

>>Oakland Warehouse Fire Latest: 27 Identities Released

The coroner's bureau continues to notify families of their loss, including at least two more overseas victims.

The District Attorney's investigation continues. One tool at their disposal — cell phone video taken by the victims in their last moments. There has been no announcement of when charges may be filed.

Meanwhile, the heat is intensifying on the city of Oakland as it probes why the building was not shut down, despite years of complaints.

The building's history

The building was only permitted to be a warehouse. City officials released documents Monday detailing the troubled history of the building. On Saturday, following the fire, the complaint history was updated with, "Firefighters said that some of the victims might have been trapped in the blaze when they couldn't escape down a makeshift one-way stairwell leading to the second floor that was built out of wooden pallets."

In October 2014, the same document states, a complaint noted, "Constructing house/structure without permits" that was deemed "Non-Actionable."

An open complaint reported by city planning officials on Saturday showed the city was told the building had been "remodel(ed) for residential" purposes.

Mayor Libby Schaaf has pledged that 30 years of records on the building will be released to the public.

Anyone with information that might be useful in the criminal investigation is encouraged to call 877-288-2882.

Timeline
The fire department responded to the structure fire around 11:30 p.m. Friday in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue. A rave was under way; officially the "Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour" was taking place upstairs.

Firefighters were met by flames on three sides of the building. Crews did not hear any smoke detectors going off when they arrived, and the building had no sprinklers. One man who escaped the building said he grabbed a fire extinguisher but couldn't get it to work.

The fire went to three alarms and was quickly declared a defensive fire, meaning it was too dangerous for firefighters to go inside. They sprayed water on the towering flames from aerial ladders and ground level. The building was still smoking at 4:30 a.m., five hours after flames broke out.

Additional Coverage:

• Oakland Warehouse Fire Latest: 27 Identities Released
• ‘Ghost Ship’ Manager Derick Ion Almena Defends Actions
• Oakland Fire Donations: 2 Official Victim Funds Established
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: 33 Killed, IDs to Be Released, Recovery Efforts Continue (UPDATES)
• Support Pours in for Oakland Fire Victims: How You Can Help
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Nightclubs Have Long Posed Safety Questions
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: 10 Bodies Recovered, Dozens More Deaths Suspected (UPDATES)
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Three UC Berkeley Students Among the Missing Says Student Paper

Victims:

• Oakland Fire Victims Identified: Coroner's Bureau Releases Names of 7
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Santa Monica Man Among Those Killed
• Oakland Fire Victim From Walnut Creek
• Oakland Fire Victim From Hayward, Coroner Reports
• Coronado Man Identified As Victim In Oakland Fire
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Lakewood Woman Among the Missing
• Morristown Man Missing From Deadly CA Warehouse Fire: Report
• N.J. Man Among 24 Missing In Deadly CA Warehouse Fire, Reports Say
• Youngest Victim of Oakland Warehouse Fire Was 17-Year-Old San Francisco Student
• 2 Berkeley Residents Identified as Oakland Fire Victims
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Missing Lakewood Woman Confirmed Dead

Image via City of Oakland