Similarities striking between 2 deadly Oakland fires
OAKLAND, Calif. — The similarities between two deadly Oakland fires that occurred nearly four months apart are striking: Each involved a dangerously dilapidated building with an absentee landlord and renters desperate for affordable housing in the expensive San Francisco Bay Area.
The fire Monday at a building for recovering addicts and people who had been homeless occurred despite promises by city officials to crack down on substandard housing after 36 partygoers died in December at a warehouse known as the Ghost Ship that had been illegally converted into live and work spaces for artists.
“Both buildings were incredibly problematic and had a lot of legal issues,” Mayor Libby Schaaf said Tuesday.
Four people died in the latest fire, which occurred three days after city building inspectors found multiple fire code violations, including inoperable sprinklers and alarms, at the building that housed about 80 people.