[SML] Oakland warehouse fire

[Dale Farmer]

On 12/4/2016 12:45 PM, Bill Conner via Stagecraft wrote:
> Since it seems to have been operated like a "night club" or concert
> venue, with advertised and paid admission events, it will be
> interesting to see what legislative and code changes are sought that
> could affect legitimate theatre. Very unfortunate.  How quickly the
> lessons of so many club or club like disasters are forgotten.  As
> George Santayana wrote (in The Life of Reason, 1905): “Those who
> cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
>

No doubt there will be more laws passed to make legit entertainment 
venues even more expensive to operate.  This will have the unintended 
consequence of driving miniscule budget events like this dance party 
even deeper underground.

These artist asylums are endemic to cities with very high costs of 
living and costs of buildings.  As the article mentioned, the place was 
a run down warehouse space that was being sublet in some fashion to a 
whole bunch of artist types.   Who are notorious for their failure to 
follow building codes, and viewing any attempt to make them follow the 
codes as oppression of their artistic voice.

It mentions only two stairways, one of which was constructed from boards 
and pallets, and one source of water, a dirty sink.  I doubt there were 
any sprinklers.   Dance party on the second level, and apparently was a 
monthly event, going by the old notices on their web site.

So, not enough exits, intoxicated patrons in a strange place that was 
noted to be maze-like and confusing.  Sadly, only a matter of time 
before a tragedy like this happens.  Expect the body count to get larger.

--Dale