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| Oakland Fire Victims Included Performers and Educators | Oakland Fire Victims Included Performers and Educators |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| They were musicians, poets, educators and baristas. At least 36 people were killed in a fire at an electronic dance party at a warehouse in Oakland, Calif., over the weekend, and the coroner’s bureau in Alameda County is releasing their names. It was one of the worst structure fires in the United States in over a decade. | They were musicians, poets, educators and baristas. At least 36 people were killed in a fire at an electronic dance party at a warehouse in Oakland, Calif., over the weekend, and the coroner’s bureau in Alameda County is releasing their names. It was one of the worst structure fires in the United States in over a decade. |
| Em Bohlka, 33, Oakland | Em Bohlka, 33, Oakland |
| Ms. Bohlka, who grew up in Claremont, Calif., loved to write poetry, and enjoyed the outdoors and rock climbing. “We used to do a lot of camping and hiking trips together, and she was a voracious reader,’’ her father, Jack Bohlka, said in an interview. “She liked all sorts of literature, and we shared a love of Kurt Vonnegut.” | Ms. Bohlka, who grew up in Claremont, Calif., loved to write poetry, and enjoyed the outdoors and rock climbing. “We used to do a lot of camping and hiking trips together, and she was a voracious reader,’’ her father, Jack Bohlka, said in an interview. “She liked all sorts of literature, and we shared a love of Kurt Vonnegut.” |
| He said he and his daughter often exchanged quotes from Vonnegut and his works by text or email. “There is one where Vonnegut says that he much prefers to live life at the edge because you can see so much more from the edges than you can from the center,” he said. | He said he and his daughter often exchanged quotes from Vonnegut and his works by text or email. “There is one where Vonnegut says that he much prefers to live life at the edge because you can see so much more from the edges than you can from the center,” he said. |
| “Throughout her life she was always a friend to people on the fringes, the marginalized,” he said. “She always reached out to people with love and acceptance.” | “Throughout her life she was always a friend to people on the fringes, the marginalized,” he said. “She always reached out to people with love and acceptance.” |
| Ms. Bohlka was a transgender female. Her father wrote on his Facebook page about how devastated he was to have lost his child in the fire. He noted that Em had recently begun her transition to becoming a “beautiful, happy woman. She at last was living as she was meant to live. I only wish she had more time to fully enjoy her life.” | Ms. Bohlka was a transgender female. Her father wrote on his Facebook page about how devastated he was to have lost his child in the fire. He noted that Em had recently begun her transition to becoming a “beautiful, happy woman. She at last was living as she was meant to live. I only wish she had more time to fully enjoy her life.” |
| She graduated from University of California, Riverside, with an English degree and went on to get a Masters in English Literature at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. She was getting ready to move to New York City, but had been working at High Wire coffee shop in Berkeley and had gone to the Ghost Ship that night with Donna Kellogg, who was also an employee at the coffee shop and who died in the fire. | She graduated from University of California, Riverside, with an English degree and went on to get a Masters in English Literature at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. She was getting ready to move to New York City, but had been working at High Wire coffee shop in Berkeley and had gone to the Ghost Ship that night with Donna Kellogg, who was also an employee at the coffee shop and who died in the fire. |
| In the telephone interview, Mr. Bohlka noted that the Ghost Ship was considered a safe space for the transgender community. “I know there are far too few spaces for trans people to feel safe and free to express themselves,” Mr. Bohlka said in a statement. “Although the building itself was not physically safe, the community of beautiful people felt safe with each other.” | In the telephone interview, Mr. Bohlka noted that the Ghost Ship was considered a safe space for the transgender community. “I know there are far too few spaces for trans people to feel safe and free to express themselves,” Mr. Bohlka said in a statement. “Although the building itself was not physically safe, the community of beautiful people felt safe with each other.” |
| Benjamin Runnels, 32, Oakland | Benjamin Runnels, 32, Oakland |
| Mr. Runnels was a musician and vocalist who founded the electronic pop group Introflirt. Its musical genre, performed along with a fellow band member named Vafa Donoros, who played an electronic musical instrument called an omnichord, was referred to as “croonwave.” | Mr. Runnels was a musician and vocalist who founded the electronic pop group Introflirt. Its musical genre, performed along with a fellow band member named Vafa Donoros, who played an electronic musical instrument called an omnichord, was referred to as “croonwave.” |
| According to Introflirt’s website, Mr. Runnels, who also went by the stage names Ben Benjamin and Charlie Prowler, spent countless weekends in an Oakland piano bar, “honing his chops with midcentury jazz standards, realizing a vintage flair and rich vocal technique rarely heard in electronic music.” | According to Introflirt’s website, Mr. Runnels, who also went by the stage names Ben Benjamin and Charlie Prowler, spent countless weekends in an Oakland piano bar, “honing his chops with midcentury jazz standards, realizing a vintage flair and rich vocal technique rarely heard in electronic music.” |
| Mr. Runnels was a native of Mariaville, N.Y., but was lured to the Bay Area by the location’s vibrant music scene, family members said. He lived in Oakland for five years. | Mr. Runnels was a native of Mariaville, N.Y., but was lured to the Bay Area by the location’s vibrant music scene, family members said. He lived in Oakland for five years. |
| “He was one of those people who could pick up any instrument,” his sister, Erin Runnels, told The San Francisco Chronicle. “It would be really rare that a song, whether it was Glenn Miller or The Grateful Dead or some obscure European house music, would come on without him being able to tell you something about it.” | “He was one of those people who could pick up any instrument,” his sister, Erin Runnels, told The San Francisco Chronicle. “It would be really rare that a song, whether it was Glenn Miller or The Grateful Dead or some obscure European house music, would come on without him being able to tell you something about it.” |
| Alex Ghassan, 35, Oakland | Alex Ghassan, 35, Oakland |
| Mr. Ghassan planted a kiss on the cheek of his younger sister, Francesca, pulling her close with his right arm around her neck. The smile on her face, turned directly to the camera, could not have been broader. That was the image she posted on Facebook Tuesday morning under the words “RIP big brother.” | Mr. Ghassan planted a kiss on the cheek of his younger sister, Francesca, pulling her close with his right arm around her neck. The smile on her face, turned directly to the camera, could not have been broader. That was the image she posted on Facebook Tuesday morning under the words “RIP big brother.” |
| Mr. Ghassan, a director and producer, was the father of twin daughters, according to a biography on a fund-raising page set up by his mother, Emilie Grandchamps. He moved to Oakland from Jersey City, N.J., two years ago. “He was family man and loved spending quality and creative time with his daughters. His love and adoration for his mother was so warm and humbling,” it said. It said he was visiting the Ghost Ship warehouse to support other artists there that night. He died from smoke inhalation, the page said. | Mr. Ghassan, a director and producer, was the father of twin daughters, according to a biography on a fund-raising page set up by his mother, Emilie Grandchamps. He moved to Oakland from Jersey City, N.J., two years ago. “He was family man and loved spending quality and creative time with his daughters. His love and adoration for his mother was so warm and humbling,” it said. It said he was visiting the Ghost Ship warehouse to support other artists there that night. He died from smoke inhalation, the page said. |
| “I loved how he brought my words to life and how he made music films for all the artists he worked with,” a fellow artist, Hasan Salaam, was quoted as saying on the memorial fund-raising page. | “I loved how he brought my words to life and how he made music films for all the artists he worked with,” a fellow artist, Hasan Salaam, was quoted as saying on the memorial fund-raising page. |
| David Cline, 24, Oakland | David Cline, 24, Oakland |
| Friends described Mr. Cline, an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, as someone with a fun personality and a penchant for bear hugs. On Facebook, his former clarinet teacher posted an autobiography that Mr. Cline wrote before his senior recital, in which he called himself a “devoted volleyball player” and member of the All-State Band. | Friends described Mr. Cline, an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, as someone with a fun personality and a penchant for bear hugs. On Facebook, his former clarinet teacher posted an autobiography that Mr. Cline wrote before his senior recital, in which he called himself a “devoted volleyball player” and member of the All-State Band. |
| “This summer he looks forward to spending time at the beach, enjoying the sunshine with his friends and observing a variety of aquatic animals,” Mr. Cline wrote. | “This summer he looks forward to spending time at the beach, enjoying the sunshine with his friends and observing a variety of aquatic animals,” Mr. Cline wrote. |
| Mr. Cline recently graduated with a double major in cognitive science and computer science, and was a “ferociously brilliant student and impossibly bright mind,” his brother, Neil Cline, said in a statement. “To David, we love you,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. “You will be with us always.” | Mr. Cline recently graduated with a double major in cognitive science and computer science, and was a “ferociously brilliant student and impossibly bright mind,” his brother, Neil Cline, said in a statement. “To David, we love you,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. “You will be with us always.” |
| Donna Kellogg, 32, Oakland | Donna Kellogg, 32, Oakland |
| Ms. Kellogg worked as a barista at Highwire Coffee Roasters in Berkeley, a person who answered the telephone there said on Monday. An article in The San Francisco Chronicle described her as a “freewheeling and free-spirited” person who loved cooking and played the drums. “She liked avant-garde music,” said her father, Hugh Slocum. A recent graduate of San Francisco State University, Ms. Kellogg was studying for a degree in culinary arts at Laney College in Oakland. | Ms. Kellogg worked as a barista at Highwire Coffee Roasters in Berkeley, a person who answered the telephone there said on Monday. An article in The San Francisco Chronicle described her as a “freewheeling and free-spirited” person who loved cooking and played the drums. “She liked avant-garde music,” said her father, Hugh Slocum. A recent graduate of San Francisco State University, Ms. Kellogg was studying for a degree in culinary arts at Laney College in Oakland. |
| Travis Hough, 35, Oakland | Travis Hough, 35, Oakland |
| Mr. Hough was an educator at two elementary schools, focusing on psychological counseling, according to Demetrio Gonzalez, the president of a local teachers union. He was an alumnus of California College of the Arts, according to a post on its Twitter account. He was also an art therapist and a musician. He and his band, Ghost of Lightning, played in November at Oakland. Secret, a performance and art space, Zoe Ceja, a founder of the site, said in an interview. | Mr. Hough was an educator at two elementary schools, focusing on psychological counseling, according to Demetrio Gonzalez, the president of a local teachers union. He was an alumnus of California College of the Arts, according to a post on its Twitter account. He was also an art therapist and a musician. He and his band, Ghost of Lightning, played in November at Oakland. Secret, a performance and art space, Zoe Ceja, a founder of the site, said in an interview. |
| Sara Hoda, 30, Walnut Creek, Calif. | Sara Hoda, 30, Walnut Creek, Calif. |
| Ms. Hoda was a teacher at a Montessori school who loved gardening, according to her former housemate Carol Crewdson, who helped her start a communal house in Oakland, hoping to help combat the housing crisis. “We sort of tried to make community work in a small space,” Ms. Crewdson said. “We would make gardens, and she would teach kids about gardens.” Ms. Crewdson said Ms. Hoda was an “honorable” person. Ms. Hoda was previously a representative for a local union assisting teachers. | Ms. Hoda was a teacher at a Montessori school who loved gardening, according to her former housemate Carol Crewdson, who helped her start a communal house in Oakland, hoping to help combat the housing crisis. “We sort of tried to make community work in a small space,” Ms. Crewdson said. “We would make gardens, and she would teach kids about gardens.” Ms. Crewdson said Ms. Hoda was an “honorable” person. Ms. Hoda was previously a representative for a local union assisting teachers. |
| Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, Hayward, Calif. | Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, Hayward, Calif. |
| Mr. Wittenauer was the vocalist in the music duo Symbiotix Fungi, who went by the name Nex Iuguolo, according to his Facebook page. | Mr. Wittenauer was the vocalist in the music duo Symbiotix Fungi, who went by the name Nex Iuguolo, according to his Facebook page. |
| Cash Askew, 22, Oakland | Cash Askew, 22, Oakland |
| Ms. Askew was a musician who performed with the band Them Are Us Too. “Completely heartbroken to lose such an incredible soul,” the group’s label, Dais Records, said on Twitter. “We love you Cash.” | Ms. Askew was a musician who performed with the band Them Are Us Too. “Completely heartbroken to lose such an incredible soul,” the group’s label, Dais Records, said on Twitter. “We love you Cash.” |
| Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Coronado, Calif. | Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Coronado, Calif. |
| Mr. Gomez-Hall worked at Counterpoint Press, a publisher based in Berkeley. “From the second Nick started at Counterpoint, he became part of our family,” the publisher wrote on Facebook. “Whether he was recommending new music to listen to (and it was always so good), regaling us with tales of the bowling alley, offering his beloved truck for a ride if anyone needed it, or sharing his much appreciated opinions about a book jacket or manuscript, he made everyone feel like they were his friend. He was kind, considerate, hilarious... In short, he was an essential part of our team.” | Mr. Gomez-Hall worked at Counterpoint Press, a publisher based in Berkeley. “From the second Nick started at Counterpoint, he became part of our family,” the publisher wrote on Facebook. “Whether he was recommending new music to listen to (and it was always so good), regaling us with tales of the bowling alley, offering his beloved truck for a ride if anyone needed it, or sharing his much appreciated opinions about a book jacket or manuscript, he made everyone feel like they were his friend. He was kind, considerate, hilarious... In short, he was an essential part of our team.” |
| Riley Fritz, 29, Oakland | Riley Fritz, 29, Oakland |
| Ms. Fritz, a musician, artist and transgender woman, had been in Oakland only a few months, but she was already enjoying her life there, said her brother, Ben Fritz, a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles. | Ms. Fritz, a musician, artist and transgender woman, had been in Oakland only a few months, but she was already enjoying her life there, said her brother, Ben Fritz, a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles. |
| “She came down here for Thanksgiving and she seemed to me to be the happiest that I’ve seen her in quite a while,” he said. | “She came down here for Thanksgiving and she seemed to me to be the happiest that I’ve seen her in quite a while,” he said. |
| After graduating from high school in Westport, Conn., where she grew up, Ms. Fritz studied printmaking at the School for the Visual Arts in Manhattan. She later lived with friends in North Carolina and Indiana, where she worked odd jobs to support her art. But ultimately Oakland, with its supportive artist and transgender communities, beckoned. | After graduating from high school in Westport, Conn., where she grew up, Ms. Fritz studied printmaking at the School for the Visual Arts in Manhattan. She later lived with friends in North Carolina and Indiana, where she worked odd jobs to support her art. But ultimately Oakland, with its supportive artist and transgender communities, beckoned. |
| Ms. Fritz had many passions: She played the bass guitar, experimented with other music and had plans to start a band. | Ms. Fritz had many passions: She played the bass guitar, experimented with other music and had plans to start a band. |
| She was an artist, a supporter of animal rights, and a voracious reader. | She was an artist, a supporter of animal rights, and a voracious reader. |
| “She’s the only person I’ve ever known who read David Foster Wallace’s ‘Infinite Jest,’” Mr. Fritz said. | “She’s the only person I’ve ever known who read David Foster Wallace’s ‘Infinite Jest,’” Mr. Fritz said. |
| Ms. Fritz, who also went by the name Feral Pines, adopted the name Riley as a woman in her 20s. She exhibited a strength that her brother admired. “I think she was very brave to follow her truth and be who she felt she was,” he said. | Ms. Fritz, who also went by the name Feral Pines, adopted the name Riley as a woman in her 20s. She exhibited a strength that her brother admired. “I think she was very brave to follow her truth and be who she felt she was,” he said. |
| Chelsea Dolan, 33, San Francisco | |
| Ms. Dolan, a musician, was at the warehouse on Friday night to perform, her grandmother, Marion Dolan, told WGRZ, an NBC affiliate in upstate New York. | |
| “Music was her life. Everything was centered around her music, and if she got a chance to play, she went,” she said in an interview before her granddaughter’s death had been confirmed. | |
| Indeed, when Ms. Dolan wasn’t playing, she was a volunteer D.J. under the name Cherushii at the KALX community radio station, which is licensed to University of California, Berkeley, the school said on Tuesday. | |
| Ms. Dolan visited her grandmother in the Buffalo area this past summer to celebrate her 90th birthday, the elder Ms. Dolan said. | |
| “All I saw of her was a happy gal,” she said. | |
| Jennifer Morris, 21, Foster City, Calif. | |
| Ms. Morris was one of three members of the University of California, Berkeley, community who were killed in the fire, the school announced on Tuesday. She was a junior and had plans to major in media studies. Before coming to Berkeley, Ms. Morris had studied at UC Santa Cruz. | |
| “We are working together as a community to help process this tragic loss,” Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said in a Sunday message to the Berkeley community. | |
| Jennifer Kiyomi Tanouye, 31, Oakland | |
| Music was central to Ms. Tanouye’s life, both personally and professionally. By day, she worked for Shazam, a music discovery service, which remembered her fondly on Twitter and encouraged visitors to its site to donate to a fund for victims of the fire. | |
| In a 2012 profile, The East Bay Express described Ms. Tanouye as “easily as stylish” as any of the artists she booked for an annual Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival that she helped run at the time. The author also credited her with “creating what may be the most promising arts event that the city has seen this year.” | |
| Edmond Lapine, 34, Oakland | |
| Growing up, Mr. Lapine moved around Utah several times, but music was always a constant, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. | |
| He taught himself how to play the guitar and joined several bands. Later, he became a D.J. Throughout, he was surrounded by friends, his father, Bob Lapine, said. | |
| “When Edmond was in high school, they took a field trip to England,” he told The Chronicle. “My son was the tallest kid in the class and he dyed his hair bright green. I go, ‘Oh, Ed.’ I was so embarrassed. But wherever Ed went, a lot of kids would follow. He went over to England and the teachers said all they had to do was look for Ed and his green hair and there would be everybody else.” | |
| Those who knew him remembered him as social and supportive — someone who sought out common ground when discussing music. | |
| Micah Danemayer, 28, Oakland | |
| Mr. Danemayer had just moved in with his girlfriend when the pair attended the party at the warehouse on Friday, a friend told KRON, an Oakland television station. | |
| The friend, Eric Stucke, said he met Mr. Danemayer through the electronic music scene and the two would frequently meet up at Brotzeit Lokal, an Oakland restaurant. During those meetings, Mr. Danemayer would make new friends, too, Mr. Stucke said. | |
| “He was basically an open book,” Mr. Stucke said. “He had his thing, he had very specific tastes, but yet he was a super-inclusive person.” |