A warehouse-turned-artist’s studio caught fire in Oakland, California on December 2. At least nine people are dead and many more still missing. There was an event on the second floor of the building when it went up in smoke, and there were only two possible exits for those in attendance.
According to the Facebook event, the second floor of the warehouse was hosting the “Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour.” Golden Donna is a DJ, and the event included other artists for the performance. The event was planned to go on well into the night, so many people were just arriving when the fire started around 11 p.m.
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“The place was already ablaze. There were huge flames coming out of the roof. And tons of billowing black smoke,” said John Evanofski, who had planned on attending the event. “On the sidewalk, where many of my friends who attended were huddled, you could feel the heat of the flames.”
Those inside the building only had two options to escape the flames, one was a rickety, possibly tenant-built staircase made out of wooden pallets. The other option was to take the risk jumping from the second story window. As many as 40 people were burned from the fire.
To make matters worse, the inside of the building before and during the fire was filled with debris, furniture, and personal belongings of the artists that worked and/or lived there. The building was in violation of code and being investigated.
The debris and furniture hindered many who were trying to escape. Bob Mulé, one of the artists who worked at the warehouse tried to help another person escape, but failed due to the debris.
“Another member of the collective had broken his ankle and was calling out for help,” Mulé said. “I was pulling him out. He’s a larger gentleman, and there was a lot of stuff in the way. The flames were too much. There was too much smoke and… I had to… I had to let him go.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this tragedy and we hope that those who are missing are found.
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[H/T Fox 13]
