Oakland officials say changes underway 6 months after Ghost Ship fire

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Friday, June 2, 2017 marks the six-month anniversary of the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland that left 36 people dead. To date, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office has not yet filed criminal charges.

RELATED: All 36 victims in Ghost Ship warehouse fire identified

There was a meeting at the site Friday that included attorneys for the owners of the building, as well as attorneys for the victims.

The Ng family who owns the building wants to repair the roof so that businesses can operate, but the victim's attorneys want to make sure all the evidence still inside the Ghost Ship warehouse is preserved.

Outside the boarded up Ghost Ship warehouse, there's an artists' tribute to the 36 people who lost their lives in a fire. Many of them were artists, as well. "That's a tragedy that will never leave me. I can still remember the calls late at night about the fire," councilman Noel Gallo said.

Gallo recalls standing outside the Ghost Ship warehouse surrounded by young people realizing they'd lost their friends. The fire opened up an endless stream of questions for the city, from the need for affordable housing to accountability. "We really recognize that we have a cost of living crisis in Oakland and that we have got to think about how our laws are forcing people to live under the radar in unsafe conditions," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff said.

"I can tell the public that we're going to hire more fire marshals, inspectors, building inspectors," Gallo said.

Gallo said it's not just fire safety. Residents have also since approached the city about mold and other unsafe living conditions. "At the end of the day, it is up to the property owner to take care of the property," he said.

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has not filed criminal charges against the property owner Chor Ng or Derrick Ion who leased the building. The DA's Office says it is still investigating.

Another tribute to the victims remains along Lake Merritt. Many of the 36 victims' families have joined civil lawsuits that name the city, PG&E, Ng, Ion and others.

It's been six months since the Ghost Ship warehouse fire, a tragic anniversary with a criminal investigation by the DA's office to determine who is responsible is still ongoing.

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