A warehouse in Oakland California burned this weekend after it was rented by Derek Almena who allowed a collective of "artists" to infest the property and transform it into a fire hazard. 36 bodies were recovered from the ruins so far. Pictures from inside the warehouse, which had been partially converted to "housing", from before the fire show an appalling lack of gypsum and other firestop materials. Further an impromptu second floor discotheque was also added to the warehouse along with substantial ad hoc modifications and extensions of the building's electric wiring. Apologist insist fire safety was actually taken very seriously because the aptly named "Ghost Ship" collective banned candles and smoking.

A crackdown on makeshift "artist collectives" in the Bay area is to be expected in the near future with the likely effect of noticeably increasing the portion of the region's homeless population that sleeps in the streets.