Former Westport Resident Among the Dead in Oakland Warehouse Fire: Report

WESTPORT, CT — Musician Feral Pines/Fritz, 29, a 2005 graduate of Westport's Staples High School, was among the more than 35 people who died in Friday's warehouse fire in Oakland, reports the Westport News.

Pines moved to Oakland recently, her father, Bruce Fritz, told the publication.

As of Monday morning, the confirmed death toll from the fire had risen to 36, and it is feared to climb higher, according to officials. Recovery efforts have been temporarily halted out of safety concerns because of the structural integrity of the building.

Known as the "Ghost Ship," the warehouse was the site of a rave Friday night, and upstairs an event called the "Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour" was also taking place.

According to an Oakland Planning and Building Department official, the building in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue was only permitted as a warehouse, not as a live/work space for artists as it was apparently being used.

Bruce Fritz told the Westport News that he will be traveling to Oakland to identify Pines' body, and his 39-year-old son, Ben, who lives in Los Angeles, will be joining him. A third Fritz child is named Amanda, 36.

Funeral arrangements for Pines have not yet been determined, according to Dan Woog's blog 06880.

Click here to read the full story on the Westport News website.

Patch Editor Feroze Dhanoa also contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Alameda County Sheriff's Office