The first victims of the devastating fire that killed at least 30 people at an Oakland, California warehouse party on the weekend have been named.
Donna Kellogg, 32, Travis Hough, 35, Barrett Clark, Nex luguolo, Pete Wadsworth and Cash Askew have all been confirmed as victims of the blaze, in of the most devastating fires in US history.
Kellog was reported to be on the second floor the Ghost Ship – a warehouse that had been converted into an art space – when the fire broke out.
“She is a freewheeling, free-spirited, candid person in a beautiful, delightful way,” a friend, who only gave her first name of Kim, told local media outlet SF Gate.
Hough – who was one of the musical minds behind local electronic band Ghost of Lightning – was confirmed dead by his father Brian Hough on Facebook.
Clark’s former roommate Bascom P LeMay paid tribute to his friend. “Goodbye Barrett. We saw each other at our best. You saw me at my worst. Our times together I’ll cherish forever. A true friend – roommate – collaborator – brother. He had my back so many times. His smile, his laughter, his heart will be missed.”
Askew’s civil partner Anya Taylow posted on Facebook: “My love is gone. Nothing is real. All I want is her. Cash Askew, I love you.”
In a separate post, she said: “I wish something could bring my love back, anything. Cash, I love you more than anything in the world, and you know it. My friends Feral, Ara, Joey and Kiyomi are beautiful souls. I’m fucking broken.”
Authorities have confirmed that the death toll from Friday night’s devastating fire has hit 30, but warned that it is likely to rise with only 20% of the building being searched.
“The number will go up,” Sgt. Ray Kelly on Sunday, describing the death toll as “astronomical“.
“In my career of 30 years, I haven’t experienced something of this magnitude.”
31st- pic.twitter.com/8TX6jk0iYq
— Oakland Firefighters (@OaklandFireLive) December 3, 2016
Authorities said that some of the victims will need to be identified by matching dental records or even DNA testing, encouraging family members to bring items such as hair brushes which might help the process.
Firefighters are literally clearing the site “bucket by bucket”, and have yet to reach the location where the fire began. A cause has not yet been determined.
The warehouse has been described by former residents and neighbours as a death trap, defined by rickety stairs, overflowing with junk, and having few exits.
“If you were not familiar with the building and the way that it was, if you were going there for a party, you wouldn’t be aware of the maze that you have to go through to get out,” said Danielle Boudreaux, a former friend of the couple who ran the warehouse.
Nick Garcia, 21, a neighbour of Ghost Ship, said the building’s windows had metal screens on them, making it impossible to escape.
“If you look at the outside of them they were bolted on metal mesh,” he told the Daily Mail. “There’s no way, they couldn’t even jump out of them if they wanted to. I know there was a way to get to the roof, because we’ve seen people on the roof.”
Authorities said the owners had no permits to hold parties or create living spaces in the building.
Source: SF Gate, ABC, NY Times, Daily Mail.
Photo: Getty / Elijah Nouvelage.
