Official: Refrigerator ruled out as source of Oakland fire
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - A refrigerator was ruled out as the cause of a fire at a warehouse in Oakland that killed 36 people, but investigators were still looking at electrical systems as possible ignition sources, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Friday.
The bureau has brought in a team to create a detailed map of the site, said Jill Snyder, special agent in charge of the ATF's San Francisco office.
Officials, meanwhile, released the final victim names.
The fire broke out during a dance party on the night of Dec. 2. Investigators have said it was raging by the time people on the second floor detected it, trapping them in the building. The warehouse - dubbed the "Ghost Ship" - had been converted to artists' studios and illegal living spaces, and former occupants said it was a death trap of piled wood, furniture, snaking electrical cords and only two exits.
The blaze did not appear in a database fire inspectors use to schedule inspections and may never have been checked for fire hazards, a firefighter with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.
Oakland fire officials are supposed to annually inspect commercial buildings for fire safety, with only single-family homes and duplexes exempted, according to a city website. Officials typically pull addresses from a database to request the yearly checks, the firefighter said Thursday only on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution for disclosing the information.
"Commercial inspections are conducted as time permits during a fire station's 24-hour shift and are not routinely scheduled on an appointment basis," the city's website explains.
The victims, ranging in age from 17 to 61, died while attending a $10-a-head dance party at the warehouse. Bob Lapine, whose 34-year-old son Edmond died in the fire, visited the site Friday and took photos for a memorial book to honor his son.
The father, who lives in Utah, told news reporters he wishes he could have one more conversation with his son.
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Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer, Sudhin Thanawala and Tim Reiterman in San Francisco contributed to this report.