SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Oakland authorities have confirmed a fire chased eight people out of an evacuated and condemned building injuring one person before fire crews could extinguish the blaze.
Assistant Fire Marshal Emmanuel Watson compared the event to the 2016 fire that trapped and killed 36 people in the Ghost Ship warehouse illegally repurposed as living quarters for artists, San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.
It took four engines, two trucks and a total of 27 responders to extinguish the Friday fire, authorities said. One woman suffered minor burns and was hospitalized. No firefighters were injured.
At least six of the eight people who escaped Friday’s fire were living in the warehouse illegally, sneaking in after the building was reg-flagged twice this year, most recently in November, fire authorities said.
The building needed sprinklers, extinguishers and alarm systems to be in compliance with safety standards, authorities said.
A fire crew was called to the building for a medical issue in October and authorities ordered about 20 occupants to evacuate within 72 hours, authorities said.
It is unclear if any of the people who escaped the fire were the same people ordered to leave, authorities said.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
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