RICHMOND (KRON)—The ATF has now finished their investigation into the Oakland Ghost Ship fire. They will give their conclusions on Tuesday.
Following the deadly fire, artist communities across the Bay Area feel they are now a target for officials who might rather shut them down than get them to code.
They are anxious by what seems to be a microscopic lens from the city. Authorities are now focusing in on spaces such as this warehouse they call home.
They say walking four blocks from BART to the warehouse is more dangerous than being inside.
Brandon Bailey first visited this Richmond warehouse known as the Burnt Ramen when he was 15.
“I don’t know how I could function without this place really,” Bailey said. “Being a full time student and unemployed and trying to live in the Bay Area one of the most expensive places in the world to live now.”
The Bay Area native, along with five other people, live and work there to cut costs and collaborate.
Owner Mikey Ramen has run the place off Espee Avenue for 18 years now.
“We have people from different fields that come together and work and do projects and exchange skill sets,” said homeowner Mikey Ramen.
On top of a live work cooperative, friends sometimes get together to play music.
The concept that may be compared to the Oakland warehouse known as the Ghost Ship that was consumed in a fire last Friday.
Now, Burnt Ramen residents are worried by the possibility of a negative impact on their home in a series of recent fire inspections across the Bay Area.
“The mayor of Richmond Tom Butt he announced basically to the entire world that we existed and that we were the next ‘Ghost Ship’ which I take issue to I would say that we’re nothing like the Ghost Ship and that we really are about the welfare of the people and the safety here,” Ramen said.
So the group has already started improvements themselves with help from professionals in the community like installing glowing exit signs with a fire hydrant nearby.
“We had about 30 to 40 people here yesterday and they just on their own volition cleaned the entire area of the building practically the whole neighborhood,” Ramen said.
Burnt Ramen residents are also still mourning the loss of friends they know who perished in the Oakland warehouse fire. They never want something like that to happen again which is why they’re taking precautionary steps to get their place up to code.