RELATED: Complaint filed against Oakland warehouse before deadly fire
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A key person in this case is Derick Ion, who founded the Ghost Ship Artist Collective and ran it at the warehouse. The Ghost Ship served as a work and live space for creatives in the area. People who used to work for Ion tell the I-Team police and fire officials warned him about the fire hazard at the building but he reportedly laughed off those warnings.
The I-Team reached out to Ion for comment but have received no response as of Saturday evening.
A post on Ion's Facebook page is getting a lot of attention. It says, "Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound... it's as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope... to be standing now in poverty of self worth." Micah is Ion's wife.
Several people blasted Ion for focusing on his own situation instead of the terrible loss of life. Ion held frequent parties at the warehouse. Fliers promoting them are still on his website, as is a video from one party this past June.
RELATED: Oakland fire helpline, information for families
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The Oakland Planning and Building Department said Saturday that Ion should have requested a special permit for Saturday night's rave, but he did not. It clearly would not have been approved due to having so many people crowded into a space so cluttered with what would become fuel for the inferno.
PHOTOS:At least 9 dead in Oakland warehouse fire
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