A pair of Oakland fire officials walk past the remains of the Ghost Ship warehouse fire Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. The fire that killed 36 people during a party at an Oakland warehouse started on the ground floor and quickly raged, with smoke billowing into the second level and trapping victims whose only escape route was through the flames, federal investigators said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
The Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Federal officials investigating a fire that killed 36 people during a party at an Oakland warehouse plan to bring in engineers to examine the building's electrical system, as they try to pinpoint the cause of a blaze that has cast a spotlight on similar artists' colonies around the country that offer cheap housing but unsafe living conditions.
Federal investigators said Wednesday the fire started on the ground floor of the Oakland warehouse and quickly raged, with smoke billowing into the second level and trapping victims whose only escape route was through the flames.
"The occupants were consumed by smoke before they could get out of the building," said Jill Snyder, special agent in charge of the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
She also confirmed there were no sprinklers or fire alarm system in the building.
Officials previously said recovery efforts at the site had ended with the death toll remaining at 36.
Snyder reiterated that investigators were examining a refrigerator and other possibilities as a potential source of the fire but had not reached any conclusions. She said the electrical system would be examined. Investigators have not found evidence of arson, but she said they have also not ruled it out.
Snyder indicated it would be at least several weeks before the investigation was completed.
Officials hope to create a virtual, 3D reconstruction of the building for criminal and civil investigations and to provide answers to family members about their loved ones' last moments, Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly said.
"Where was my son or daughter? Where were they standing? How come they didn't get out?" he said. "Families want answers. They need answers."
The fire broke out during a dance party Friday night in the cluttered warehouse.
The structure had been converted to artists' studios and illegal living spaces, and former denizens said it was a death trap of piled wood, furniture, snaking electrical cords and only two exits.
Danielle Boudreaux, a 40-year-old hairdresser who was close with Derick Ion Almena, the founder of the artists' colony, and his partner, Micah Allison, said it was full of extension cords plugged into each other that helped supply power to music equipment, microwaves and hot plates.
There were also RVs inside, she said.
Almena has not responded to emails or calls by The Associated Press to phone numbers associated with him. He has said he didn't attend the event Friday night, and he is sorry.
City and state officials fielded complaints for years about dangerous conditions, drugs, neglected children, trash, thefts and squabbles at the warehouse, raising questions about why it wasn't shut down. The district attorney has warned of possible murder charges as she determines whether there were any crimes linked to the blaze.
The fire has cast a spotlight on similar artists' colonies around the country that offer cheap housing but have raised safety concerns among neighbors and city officials.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the city will look to strengthen regulations for smoke alarms and exits and clarify city employees' responsibilities to monitor unsafe structures.
She said the city wants to engage the arts community in the review to ensure any changes don't jeopardize their access to affordable housing and work space.
On Wednesday, an Oakland restaurant owner, Dorothy King, called a news conference to say she was concerned the artists' warehouse next to her business could pose a safety hazard.
Several artists tried to shout her down, accusing her of launching a "witch hunt" that could result in artists' collectives being shut down.
King said that wasn't her intention.
"I'm concerned about my business burning down. I'm concerned about a tragedy that could happen," she said. "The city should come in and help, not shut it down."
In Baltimore, officials shut down an arts building for safety violations and evicted dozens of tenants three days after the fatal fire in Oakland.
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer told the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/2h7NIpN) that he will meet next week with the fire chief and the head of the building and safety department to discuss what he calls an aggressive response to illegal apartment and loft conversions in commercial buildings.
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Thanawala reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker and Janie Har in Oakland, Calif., Ellen Knickmeyer and Tim Reiterman in San Francisco and Jonathan J. Cooper in Sacramento contributed to this report.
John Gaut, left, with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, leads a group in prayer near the site of a warehouse fire Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. The fire that killed over two dozen people during a dance party at an Oakland warehouse grew rapidly and was raging by the time people on the second floor of the building detected it, trapping them upstairs, investigators said. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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This still frame from exclusive video provided by San Francisco TV station KGO-TV, made late Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, shows Derick Ion Almena, right, and Micah Allison, the couple who operated the Ghost Ship warehouse where dozens have died in a fire, at the Oakland, Calif., Marriott Hotel. When a KGO reporter asked if he had anything to say to the families of those who were killed, Almena said: "They're my children. They're my friends, they're my family, they're my loves, they're my future. What else do I have to say?" (KGO-TV via AP)
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The front of The Ghost Ship warehouse damaged from a deadly fire is seen Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. The fire that killed 36 people during a party at an Oakland warehouse started on the ground floor and quickly raged, with smoke billowing into the second level and trapping victims whose only escape route was through the flames, federal investigators said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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This July 2016 photo provided by Nick Salazar shows David Cline. Cline, 24, was one of over two dozen people who died in the disastrous Oakland party warehouse fire that began Dec. 2, 2016. (Nick Salazar via AP)
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This May 2016 photo provided by Lenworth McIntosh shows Alex Ghassan in Oakland, Calif. Ghassan died in the warehouse fire in Oakland that began Dec. 2, 2016. Ghassan was the father of twin toddlers and a director and producer who worked with Spike Lee and Talib Kweli. (Lenworth McIntosh via AP)
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This March 12, 2015 booking photo provided by the Glendale, Calif., Police Department shows Derick Ion Almena. Almena is an operator of the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland, in which dozens of people died in a fire that started Dec. 2, 2016. Spokeswoman Tawnee Lightfoot says Almena was stopped for driving with expired registration and, after a consensual search, two license plates from Oakland-area stolen cars were found. The charges apparently were not pursued. (Glendale Police Department via AP)
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Women stop to put flowers on a makeshift memorial near the site of a warehouse fire Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. The fire that killed 36 people during a dance party at an Oakland warehouse grew rapidly and was raging by the time people on the second floor of the building detected it, trapping them upstairs, investigators said. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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A pair of photographs hang from a fence at a makeshift memorial near the site of a warehouse fire Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. The fire that killed 36 people during a dance party at an Oakland warehouse grew rapidly and was raging by the time people on the second floor of the building detected it, trapping them upstairs, investigators said. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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A candle burns next to a photograph left at a makeshift memorial near the site of a warehouse fire Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. The fire that killed 36 people during a dance party at an Oakland warehouse grew rapidly and was raging by the time people on the second floor of the building detected it, trapping them upstairs, investigators said. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
The Associated Press
Some artwork remains on the wall of a warehouse that caught fire Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. Investigators say the fire at thewarehouse in Oakland that claimed 36 lives progressed rapidly, trapping people on the second floor. Special agent in charge of the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Jill Snyder said Wednesday people on the second floor of the warehouse did not know there was a fire on the first floor until it was well developed. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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Special agent in charge of the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Jill Snyder gestures while speaking about the stairway inside a warehouse fire Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. Investigators said the fire that occurred during a dance party at an Oakland warehouse grew rapidly and was raging by the time people on the second floor of the building detected it, trapping them upstairs. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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