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OAKLAND — At 1218 Miller Ave., the lights are off, the residents gone. After a minor fire at the live-work space on Jan. 12, tenants like guitar builder Lewis Santer and magician Greg Chin say they don’t know when, if ever, they can return home.

The three-story building is believed to be the only live-work or artist space where tenants were displaced after city inspections in the wake of the deadly Ghost Ship warehouse fire on Dec. 2 that killed 36 people.

Ever since that fire, officials have grappled with how the city can keep its residents safe while also helping them avoid being kicked out of creative spaces in a city where soaring rents have made it difficult for many to stay. Some owners of unpermitted warehouse spaces — fearing another Ghost Ship — served eviction notices to their tenants before any inspectors set foot in the door.

What happened at the Art Rattan Studios, a former furniture factory on Miller Avenue, highlights yet another wrinkle.

A small fire that started outside their front door unleashed a large response from the fire department, and subsequent attention from building and code enforcement inspectors. Unbeknownst to the residents, the building was not zoned for residential use and, according to city records, was cited for code violations. Now, Santer says it seems the building where he has rented space since 2004 is being treated like a “guinea pig.”

“The city is trying to do the right thing,” Santer said. “The response now is different because of the Ghost Ship, as it should be, but that puts us in a tough spot.”

The Ghost Ship warehouse, 1315 31st Ave., had no fire sprinklers, a staircase made of wooden pallets, and the electricity was supplied by a labyrinth of cords sharing one main power source. The bottom floor was packed with more than a dozen residents, attracted by the lifestyle and cheap rent. Thirty-six people died in the Dec. 2 blaze.

Seven blocks away, at Art Rattan Studios, is another story.

The warehouse home to artists, woodworkers and sound engineers is a tidy building equipped with fire sprinklers and fire extinguishers, tenants said. On the third floor, fire exits and extinguishers could be seen on Wednesday, along with two stairwell exits out of the building.

The small fire on Jan. 12, which started on the porch outside their building, spread to the front door, according to the Oakland Fire Department. Fire sprinklers wreaked more havoc than flames. Water damage led to an electrical shutdown, forcing residents from their home. The fire’s cause is unknown.

Only after the fire did residents learn the building was zoned for industrial use, not residential as stated in their leases. A complaint that was filed with the city after the Jan. 12 fire, of “illegal construction and light industrial converted to live work lots,” was verified. The landlord did not return a call for comment.

While the Ghost Ship warehouse was never inspected by the fire department, several officials showed up after the Miller Avenue fire. Councilman Noel Gallo, interim planning and building department Director Darin Ranelletti, City Administrator Sabrina Landreth, and multiple building and fire inspectors visited the building for a walk-through in late January, said Jonah Strauss of the Oakland Warehouse Coalition.

The visits came after Mayor Libby Schaaf issued an executive order Jan. 11 aimed at bringing warehouses under compliance without displacing residents.

“That was a show of administration that I’ve never seen before in a walk-through; it was completely unparalleled,” said Strauss, who was there during the visit. “It was quite genuine, they are all trying to figure out how to move forward together,” though he said the building and fire department inspectors admitted they needed to communicate better on inspections.

Still, Strauss said it was an improvement from what might have happened if inspectors showed up pre-Ghost Ship and believes the city wants to help the residents stay. Strauss lost his West Oakland live-work space to a fire in March 2015 and has since been displaced from that building.

A recent count released by Schaaf’s office put the number of known illegal warehouses or buildings at 18. In a statement, Erica Derryck, the mayor’s spokeswoman, said the city is working with the Art Rattan landlord and tenants on a timeline to bring the building into compliance.

“While we know this is of little consolation to residents who are currently without a permanent home, we must put life safety first,” Derryck said.

Chin, a 35-year-old magician, said it is unclear if he and others will be able to move back in. He’s living at his parents’ house in Daly City, two other residents are living in their cars and the rest are couch surfing, he said.

“Our hope is for the city to put pressure on the landlord to do something,” he said. “He’s doing enough to make it look like he’s doing something.”

Added resident Tim Anderson, “I’d love to move back in. My rent could easily double” if not.