Underground music gets scrutiny after deadly Oakland fire
LOS ANGELES — The party is over at Purple 33.
About a week after 36 people died in a fire at an underground music party in Oakland, inspectors acting on a complaint discovered a makeshift nightclub and unpermitted living quarters concealed in a warehouse near Los Angeles International Airport.
Authorities searching the drab, two-story building found an illegally constructed dance floor, paired with a bar and DJ booth. Haphazard wiring snaked through walls, and an outdoor staircase capped by a bamboo canopy was flagged as a fire threat.
The unlicensed club was shut down, and operator Donald Cassel, who also lives there, was ordered to clear out.