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More than 30 dead in fire at artists’ warehouse in California | At least 36 people have died after a fire broke out in a warehouse that was home to an artists’ collective in Oakland, California. According to The Art Newspaper, the fire began during a party at the complex on Friday night, engulfing the entire building. The warehouse, known as the ‘Ghost Ship’, housed multiple studios where artists produced work in a variety of media. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the premises had been under investigation by health and safety officials for code violations: the property...

Attorneys for master tenant Derick Ion Almena at the “Ghost Ship” warehouse in Oakland where 36 people died in a fire Dec. 2 issued a statement Monday saying he didn’t engage in criminal misconduct and alleging that government agencies are responsible for the fire. High profile attorney Tony Serra and colleagues Jeffrey Krasnoff and Kyndra Miller also alleged that the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, which is conducting a criminal investigation into the fire, has a conflict of interest, reports CBS San Francisco. The attorneys said they would be the courtroom attorneys for Almena, 46, if any charges are filed...

The fact that the warehouse was not on the fire inspection system is puzzling because the city Fire Prevention Bureau is required to conduct annual inspections of all commercial buildings and multifamily residences, according to city ordinance. Some former residents described the warehouse as a cluttered “death trap” lacking fire sprinklers and filled with debris and exposed wires. Some said they made complaints to the city. People rented space in the building even though it was zoned only for warehouse use. The death toll from the fire was so high because the warehouse was hosting an unpermitted concert that night....

As Oakland’s tightknit arts community continues to grapple with dozens of deaths in the Ghost Ship warehouse blaze, it is also being roiled by heightened scrutiny over the safety of similar living spaces. ... “We’ve been in the shadows for a long time for a reason ... and it worked really great for a lot of people for a long time until this one incident,” said Scrivani, a photographer who also produces art shows. “Right now the spotlight is on us.” ... Sam Lefebvre, a music journalist who has been covering the fire for the weekly East Bay Express newspaper...

The disastrous Ghost Ship fire has intensified long-simmering tensions between Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed and the city’s firefighters union, which for years has been lobbying behind the scenes to get her fired. At the same time, however, African American community leaders are coming to the chief’s defense, complaining that Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration may be setting her up to take the blame for the deadly fire.

Full title: Mayor of Oakland warns against ‘scapegoating’ lavishly paid city employees who failed to inspect deathtrap warehouse in 30 years. The Ghost Ship warehouse/artists’ colony fire makes for a compelling drama. And everyone knows that for a drama, you need villains, especially when a tragedy is as vivid as the horrible deaths of 36 mostly young adult creative explorers. The mainstream media found a ready made figure in Derick Almena, the man who rented the warehouse and set up the colony, whose solipsistic tweets focused on his own suffering not the fire victims. His appearance on the Today Show...

The footage and photos, obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, shows the living quarters of some of the residents of the building known as the Oakland Ghost Ship. While photos on the art collective's website show an eclectic and creative space for artists and musicians, the reality of life behind the scenes in this dilapidated building is horrific. Dark and dingy rooms don't look fit for humans, with exposed electrical wires and panels, venting pipes and piles of junk and old clothes everywhere. Tenant Shelley Mack, who disclosed the pictures to DailyMail.com also revealed that there were three fires while she lived...

Derick Ion Almena, the founder of the artists collective that was the scene of deadly fire, is on probation for receiving stolen propertyThe man who founded and ran the artists' collective at the Ghost Ship warehouse where dozens of people died in a massive fire is is currently on probabion in connection with a stolen property case, according to Alameda County court records. Derick Ion Almena, 46, who friends knew as Derick Ion, was convicted in January of receiving stolen property, specifically an Airstream trailer from his landlord in January 2015, court records show. He spent two days in jail...

(CNN) - A budding musician. A truck-lover and bowling alley denizen. A singer whose adoring fans called him Nex Luguolo. A 17-year-old choir singer. These are among the 36 people who lost their lives Friday night in a fire at an Oakland, California, warehouse where an electronic dance party was being held. More National Headlines Oakland fire toll at 36; DA promises 'thorough' probe Oakland warehouse fire: What was the Ghost Ship? 33 bodies found at Oakland fire Desperate search for loved ones after Oakland fire It is already being called one of the city's deadliest blazes. Authorities said they...

The 4-alarm inferno at A-1 Custom Packaging started just before 10 a.m. local time in the Spring Branch neighborhood. It began as a house fire before moving to the warehouse, Houston police told NBC News. No injuries were immediately reported. Officials believed there was ammunition and chemicals with a possibility of igniting and exploding at the scene, where about 175 firefighters were dispatched. People in the area were being asked to shelter in place, although a nearby elementary school and businesses were being evacuated. Thick black plumes of smoke filling the skies were captured by people on video amid the

A furnature warehouse has gone up in a large fire at the intersection of Stockton and Alhambra in East Sacramento. Roads are closed and homes being evacuated.