Oakland building where fire victims died was source of complaints

This 2014 photo provided by Ajesh Shah shows the interior of a portion of the 'Ghost Ship' warehouse, taken while he was on a tour as a potential tenant of the Oakland, Calif., building. Dozens of people died at a party after a fire that started late Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, and swept through the building. less This 2014 photo provided by Ajesh Shah shows the interior of a portion of the 'Ghost Ship' warehouse, taken while he was on a tour as a potential tenant of the Oakland, Calif., building. Dozens of people died ... more Photo: Ajesh Shah Via AP Photo: Ajesh Shah Via AP Image 1 of / 77 Caption Close Oakland building where fire victims died was source of complaints 1 / 77 Back to Gallery

It was known as the Ghost Ship, a large, gray-walled warehouse with a skull and other artwork painted on the outside and chock-full of hand-built spaces tailored for musicians and artisans.

But over the past decade, the 4,000-square-foot structure at 1305 31st Ave. was better known to city zoning and fire officials as a source of complaints about illegal residential uses, all-night dance parties and general blight.

The complaints came to light Saturday as Oakland officials grappled to answer questions about a blaze that took at least 30 lives. The building is zoned as a warehouse, which does not allow for residential uses. Darin Ranelletti, interim director of the city Planning and Building Department, said the warehouse was under investigation to determine whether it was being illegally used for housing.

“We had reports that people were living there, but we’re still trying to confirm them,” said Ranelletti, who also said the party that took place Friday required a permit, which was not obtained.

The most recent complaint of illegal residential occupancy and blight was on Nov. 13, Ranelletti said. Inspectors confirmed that there was garbage in the outside area on the property but were not able to gain entry to the building to confirm that people were living there. An inspector went to the property Nov. 17 to investigate rogue interior construction but was not able to gain entry.

Witnesses described the interior of the building as having an eclectic mix of tapestries, instruments and an ornately carved ceiling. A makeshift staircase fashioned in part out of wooden pallets provided a tenuous connection between the ground floor and a second story.

“It was just a labyrinth of little areas,” said Deputy Fire Chief Mark Hoffmann, explaining that sculptors, painters and other artists had partitioned spaces off for studios.

The building, assessed at $86,000, is owned by Chor Ng, who purchased the property in 2007. Ng’s daughter, Eva Ng, told media outlets that the building was an art collective and that “nobody lived there.”

The building has been the source of blight complaints. On April 4, 2014, the Planning and Building Department received a complaint that “a large structure had been built at (the) property that had not been strapped down or stable.” No further information is available on the city’s complaint enforcement database, except that the issues had been abated.

In 2008, the city received a complaint of “trash debris and overgrowth” at the site. That, too, was cleaned up, according to city records.

The space, which was also known as Satya Yuga, was run by Derick Ion, who lived there on the second floor with his wife, Micah Allison, and children, who were staying at a hotel during the Friday event. In a Facebook post Friday night, Ion wrote, “Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound.”

Ion added, “It’s as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope ... to be standing now in poverty of self worth.”

The Facebook post was heavily criticized. Several people wrote that they had cautioned Ion that the building was unsafe. One Facebook user wrote: “Derick you were warned. Every time I came to your house I warned you and you just laughed.”

Officer Johnna Watson, a spokeswoman for the Oakland Police Department, said detectives are combing through the building’s history.

Watson emphasized that the site “is not deemed a crime scene,” but said police personnel were on hand in case the investigation takes a turn.

Danielle Boudreaux, who lives near the warehouse, said she has known the Ions for eight years, having met the family through the Oakland art community and a school her children attended with the Ions’ children. She said she and other parents became increasingly alarmed over the past three years about the living conditions in the warehouse.

She described seeing pieces of wood with rusty nails sticking out and said the building lacked hot water, central heating and a kitchen. Subtenants lived in a half-dozen recreational vehicles parked on the first floor of the building, she said.

Parents also tipped off the Fire Department about the lack of sprinklers, exits and signs, she said. “The police and Fire Department were there on more than one occasion,” Boudreaux said. “Multiple people warned Derick that it was a death trap. He would laugh it off. This tragedy could have been avoided if it were not for his arrogance.”

In early 2015, Boudreaux said, she and other friends contacted both Micah Allison’s parents and the county Child Protective Services. The children were sent to live in Southern California with relatives for about six months, she said.

In May 2015, Ion posted a note on Facebook saying that he and his wife had been “unable to see the kids for one month as we have been working and looking for the right lawyer as well as fighting extreme depression and an overwhelming longing for our children.”

Eventually the parents regained custody and returned to the warehouse. In July, Ion posted that the family was “back together.”

City Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents the Fruitvale district and lives a block from where the fire occurred, said the building “has been an issue for a number of years.”

“People have been living inside, and the neighbors have complained about it,” he said. “Some of these young people that were in there were underage. They frequently had parties there.”

Firefighters said some of the victims of the Friday night blaze were apparently trapped when they couldn’t escape down the makeshift staircase. There was no evidence that the building had a sprinkler system and there were only two exits, Hoffmann said.

Taylor Selby, 25, said she had been to the Ghost Ship a few times and had friends at the party Friday night. Some had escaped safely, but she was still waiting to hear from others. Selby, a welding student at Laney College, said the house drew artists of all kinds. “It was so welcoming, just a good vibe,” she said.

“It kind of felt like a pirate ship,” Selby said. “It was almost like walking into a flea market. Persian rugs on the walls, Buddhist statues everywhere. It was really, really cool.”