PHOTOS: What remained of the burned-out artist warehouse where 36 people died in California’s worst single structure fire — a tragedy that led to a criminal conviction, lawsuits, a landlord bankruptcy and fire inspection reforms — was quietly demolished this month.
The property that includes the warehouse site was acquired earlier this month by The Unity Council, a nonprofit community development organization based in Oakland’s Fruitvale District. Unity Council CEO Chris Iglesias said the organization had been working for years on acquiring the property and is considering building housing, although no final use has been determined.
“We did not take this decision lightly for sure,” Iglesias told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday.