OAKLAND, Calif. _ Almost two years before the deadly Ghost Ship warehouse fire, an Oakland police officer broke up a reported illegal rave at the Fruitvale property, but declined to cite anyone for permit violations, according to hundreds of records released Wednesday.
Officer Hector Chavez was flagged down on March 1, 2015 in the 3000 block of International Boulevard by someone reporting the "illegal rave with drug and alcohol sales." While most of the report was redacted by city officials, Chavez reported: "I did not cite (redacted) for the (cabaret license) violation at this time."
The officer's account illustrates for the first time Oakland police knew of possible illegal party activity inside what they called in a report a "24Hr Art Studio," but failed to stop it.
Two months after the deadliest fire in its history and under threat of a lawsuit by the Bay Area News Group, the city Wednesday released records related to the Ghost Ship warehouse that may begin to explain how 36 people lost their lives in the inferno.
On March 1, 2015, Chavez was flagged down around 1:34 a.m. and in his notes he cites the city's cabaret definition and ordinance. It appears Chavez did not stop the party, as he notes that in a separate call after 4 a.m. "(redacted) called the police approx 20 minutes after the rave was shut down to say that there were several subjects inside his warehouse refusing to leave. Police responded and stood by while everyone left the warehouse."
On the second call, Oakland police received a report of "15 people barricaded inside the business _ says the owners are holding people inside" at 2:35 a.m. The person told police she heard "sounds like a taser and threatening remarks." By 4:20 a.m., the officers on scene report that the "owner would not let people leave," but eventually relented and cops "preserved the peace" as people left.
The records span multiple city departments and are in response to 86 different public records requests. The city is still weighing certain requests to determine if they will release them.
The Bay Area News Group asked for records relating to fire and police dispatch records to the Ghost Ship since 2013. Those records show:
_Police records show they responded to 18 calls for service at 1305 31st Ave., the vacant lot next door to the warehouse, since 2007 and up to the fire. Two of those included reports of child abuse. There was one call for service at the warehouse's address.
_The neighboring businesses to the warehouse, also owned by Chor Ng, received 80 calls for service from police during that nearly decade of time.
_Fire records uncover there were no commercial fire inspections dating back to 2010 at the Ghost Ship warehouse, the adjacent vacant lot and the stereo shop. An inspection was scheduled for another property on the block in Feb. 2016 but the inspector reported the business was not in operation.
_Firefighters received three medical calls for the vacant lot, 1305 31st Ave., in June and September 2015 and June 2016. The names of the persons seeking treatment were redacted in the city documents.
_In 2014, firefighters responded to a fire outside 1309 31st Ave., the building next door to the Ghost Ship warehouse.
The Bay Area News Group warned the city last week that it would sue for the documents under the Public Records Act if they were not released by Friday. The records were requested more than two months ago, and while no documents have been released, Oakland police created a nearly two-minute video including emails and texts praising public safety response to the tragedy.
The Ghost Ship warehouse was illegally converted into the artist collective several years ago, with about 20 people living inside the warehouse in small loft-rooms, and in trailers, and recreational vehicles. The collective's master tenant, Derick Almena, also rented out the second floor of the warehouse for parties in violation of both city and state fire codes.
The Alameda County District's Attorney's Office is leading a criminal investigation of the fire. Almena, building owner Ng, and possibly others could face criminal charges.
Most of the people who died in the Dec. 2 fire were attending a dance party on the second floor and were overcome by smoke from the rapidly moving fire before they could find their way out of the maze-like cluttered building. People familiar with its interior later said the collective got electricity from a neighboring business via a wire stretching through a hole punched in a wall. That wire fed numerous extension cords that weaved in and out of a labyrinth of wooden furniture, rugs, pianos and sculptures.
Although the building's permitted use was as a commercial warehouse, city officials have admitted that neither the building department nor the Fire Department conducted safety inspections of it.
The Oakland Fire Department has a program where firefighters conduct safety inspections of local businesses, which are not required by California's fire code. But the Ghost Ship warehouse was not on lists of businesses to be inspected.
Officials first said that was because it had no business license, but later admitted that Ng had a business license to operate the warehouse for two decades. Officials then said the business license didn't result in a listing on fire inspection rolls because separate computer systems were incapable of sharing data.
In September 2014, firefighters doused a sofa that was burning just outside the Ghost Ship's main entrance. As Almena came outside, sources have told this newspaper that two firefighters got a brief look inside the collective. One of them, seeing obvious fire dangers, later communicated them to the city's Fire Safety Bureau, either orally or in writing, a person familiar with the firefighter's actions has said.
The head's-up never resulted in a safety inspection and the fire chief has said no such records exist.
