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December 8, 2016

Years of complaints preceded deadly Oakland warehouse fire

  • Officials investigated dangerous conditions, drugs, neglected children, trash, thefts and squabbles, but never shut down the illegally converted building.
    • By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and PAUL ELIAS
    Associated Press

    OAKLAND, Calif. — City and state officials fielded years of complaints about dangerous conditions, drugs, neglected children, trash, thefts and squabbles at the illegally converted warehouse where 36 partygoers were killed in a weekend fire, with inspectors knocking on the door as recently as two weeks before the blaze.

    With all the attention from police, child welfare authorities, building inspectors and others, some of those who saw what was going on at the underground artists' colony say they figured time and again that authorities would shut it all down.


     
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