3 people killed as fire burns troubled Oakland building
Three people were killed and a fourth was missing after an early morning fire Monday ripped through a large transitional housing building in West Oakland where fire inspectors had found 11 glaring safety violations just three days earlier.
As friends and neighbors awaited identifications of the dead, public records revealed the city had responded to numerous complaints about the building at 2551 San Pablo Ave. The records again raised questions about city property inspections in the wake of Decembers catastrophic Ghost Ship fire, which killed 36 people.
Following a Feb. 25 referral for a fire safety inspection at the building by the Fire Department, the Oakland Fire Prevention Bureau said it could not get inside.
It took a second request March 18 before inspectors finally gained access on Friday. Once inside, inspectors said they found the 11 flagrant violations, including units lacking smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, a malfunctioning sprinkler system and a series of extension cords.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/bayarea/article/Fire-burning-out-of-control-at-West-Oakland-11030109.php