屋崙大火造成超過30人死亡 首批死傷者名單公佈 Oakland Ghost Ship Fire Update: the list of identified victims
[12/5/2016 - 12:40 PM] 屋崙派對貨倉大火事件進展：Alameda縣驗屍官辦公室希望受害人家屬能夠提供DNA樣本以協助確認遇難者身份。
屋崙一個派對現場週五凌晨發生三級大火，至少36人死亡。目前已有11名死者已經確認身份。
據稱事發現場位於屋崙31街夾International 大道交界的一棟建築物內。週五晚上發生大火的時候，現場正在舉行一場狂歡派對，當時至少有數十人聚集在內。據報當地消防局是在週五晚上大概11：32分接到火警，隨後大批消防車到場，大火持續了幾個小時；由於火勢太大，直至凌晨4:15分左右，消防員才能將火勢控制。目前該棟建築物已經接近完全被燒毀，警方和消防人員目前仍在事發現場勘查。這場大火也被認為是屋崙自1991年大火後最嚴重的火災。
發生大火的這棟建築物被當地藝術家團體稱之為Oakland Ghost Ship（屋崙鬼之船），平時專供本地藝術家使用，近年來也被用作很多派對活動的場地。從大火前拍攝到的圖片可以看到，現場堆放著不少雜物。屋崙消防局局長 Teresa Deloche-Reed 也指出，建築物內的環境讓逃生變成更加困難。
這場派對名為Golden Donna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour，在Facebook上更設有活動專頁，上面指出有796人有興趣參加，而361人已經有去過活動現場。大火發生後，不少派對現場失蹤者的家人朋友也登陸此頁面希望能夠找到失蹤親友的信息；也有參加派對但提早離場逃過一劫的人留言報平安；也有人在此留言安慰。
屋崙警方目前仍然在搜索失蹤人士的下落，如果大家想了解進一步的情況，請聯絡Alameda 縣警局510-382-3000. 有網友更即時為本次火災的受害者及其家屬發起了籌款活動 Fire Relief Fund for Victims of Ghostship Oakland
Corrected: Update from the City of Oakland on the 31st Avenue Fire at 5:30 p.m.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau has provided the City of Oakland the names of the eight (8) victims that have been positively identified as having perished in the 31stAvenue Fire. One of the eight victims is a 17-year-old minor whose name will not be released. The victims’ families have been notified.
The seven identified victims are:
Cash Askew, 22, Oakland, Calif.
David Cline, 24, Oakland, Calif.
Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Coronado, Calif.
Sara Hoda, 30, Walnut Creek, Calif.
Travis Hough, 35, Oakland, Calif.
Donna Kellogg, 32, Oakland, Calif.
Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, Hayward, Calif.
The City of Oakland extends condolences to the families who have received the dreadful news that one of their loved ones perished in the fire.
The focus of our efforts remains the recovery of victims. To ensure the safety of the first responders, more shoring has been placed to secure the collapsed sections of the building. This will allow first responders to safely proceed with the recovery process. Personnel from the Oakland Fire Department, Oakland Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and Oakland Public Works Department continued the painstaking work of recovering the bodies from the scene of the fire. At this time, about 30 percent of the building has been searched.
Oakland Fire Department continues to work with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, Oakland Police Department, Alcohol Tobacco and Fire, CAL OSHA, Alameda County Search and Rescue and the American Red Cross to continue the recovery effort and conduct the investigation into the cause of this deadly fire.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has activated the criminal investigation teams and is actively looking at this with all of the other law enforcement partners.
The Family Assistance Center, established by the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau in coordination with the American Red Cross, continues to operate at 2425 E. 12th Street. Family members and friends looking to locate loved ones may go to the center. Grief counseling and resources are available to families affected by this tragedy. We are requesting that only families and loved ones go to the Family Assistance Center and ask that the media respect the privacy of families at this time.
The public may access the latest updated information on the City’s website at oaklandnet.com or at (510) 238-2181. Please do not contact the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau unless you believe a family member may be a victim of the fire.
In the coming days, after the recovery phase is completed, our focus will shift to a thorough investigation of what occurred. We are committed to bringing every resource to bear to determine what happened here and how such a tragic event could have occurred. Our priority is to bring closure to this tragedy for the victims’ families.
Background
A three-alarm fire broke out on Friday, December 2, at 11:32 p.m. at 1315 31st Avenue in Oakland. The fire has resulted in a terrible tragedy.
The badly damaged building has required shoring, and first responders had begun retrieving the deceased. The roof of the building collapsed onto the second floor which has complicated the process of recovery effort. This recovery will be undertaken in a methodical and thorough process in a humane and compassionate manner to ensure that the victims are recovered and identified, and to make sure their families have this information as expeditiously as possible.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office will be managing the victim identification process and working with the Oakland Police Department to provide additional updates.
The last permitted use of the building was as a warehouse. On November 13, 2016, the City of Oakland received complaints of blight and unpermitted interior construction at the building. On November 17, 2016, a City building inspector visited the property and verified the blight complaint, but could not gain access to the building to confirm the other complaint regarding unpermitted construction. This is an ongoing investigation.
Our city has experienced a tremendous tragedy. As a community, we can come together in recovery and spirit. The Oakland A’s have set up a site for donations for Oakland Fire Victims athttps://www.youcaring.com/firevictimsofoaklandfiredec232016-706684.
