These Are the Victims of the Oakland Fire
The Oakland warehouse fire took the lives of musicians, artists, and others trying to break down barriers with their performances.
Among them was a female DJ who encouraged women to get involved in the male-dominated scene of electronic music, a promoter who sought to launch the careers of new underground talent, and a transgender artist who had fought to stay true to herself.
The death toll from the Friday night fire that ripped through the dance party in the converted warehouse remained at 36 on Tuesday and Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern told the Associated Press he didn't believe more bodies would be found.
Here's a closer look at who they were:
A Female DJ Breaking Down Barriers
Chelsea Faith Dolan, 33, was a brilliant San Francisco DJ and producer who was beginning to get the recognition she deserved in a genre of music typically dominated by men, said fellow DJ Nihar Bhatt.
Dolan, whose death was confirmed by city officials Tuesday, encountered overwhelming sexism and was working to get more women involved in electronic dance music, mentoring people and starting a musicians' learning group, Bhatt said. She generously shared feedback and reinforcement with fellow performers.
"She really was willing to give much more than she received," said Bhatt, who was outside the warehouse talking with a friend when the fire erupted.
An Underground Music Promoter
Micah Danemayer, 28, was an Oakland promoter dedicated to bringing people together and showcasing new performers, Bhatt said.
His death was confirmed by city officials Tuesday.
Bhatt was grateful for Danemayer for persuading him to do his first live solo show, a door he opened to many others.
He often projected films on a wall during other artists' sets and was doing so the night of the fire.
"He was really a multifaceted person and talented as hell," Bhatt said. "He was so passionate for the underground, for people to have a chance."
Her True Self
Riley Fritz, 29, a transgender musician and artist from Connecticut, recently moved to San Francisco to be with friends, according to her brother, Ben Fritz.
"She was a kind and beautiful person who had the strength to be her true self even when she knew that was not an easy path," Ben Fritz, 39, told the Associated Press. He said she appeared to be the "happiest she had been in a few years."
Ben Fritz said the family was notified Sunday night that Riley, also known as Feral Pines, was killed in the fire.
Their father, Bruce Fritz, told the San Francisco Chronicle he was flying to Oakland on Monday to identify the body. He said he would be joined by Ben Fritz, who lives in Los Angeles.
Riley Fritz graduated from Staples High School in Westport in 2005 and the School for the Visual Arts in Manhattan in 2010. She lived in several places before moving to the Bay Area, according to her family.
Finding Their Place Through Music
Ben Runnels, 32, who played guitar and sang, was introverted but connected to people through his music, said Brendan Dreaper, who helps operate Mixtape, the Oakland-based company that managed his band.
Runnels formed the group Introflirt with Nicole Renae Siegrist, known as "Denalda," who is among the missing.
They named their last album "Temporary Heaven" to describe the fleeting nature of life and the moments of happiness when you feel completely comfortable with who you are, no matter how different from others you may be, Dreaper said.
That's also the message the two friends would want the world to remember about their music, Dreaper said. They dubbed their sound "croonwave" and made it their mission to create a "soundtrack for the insecure," according to Mixtape.
"You may feel like an outsider, but that's your advantage in life," Dreaper said. "They were completely comfortable with being themselves. I think they did achieve that. I know people connected to them. The music did that for them, as well. It made them feel happy about themselves."
Siegrist, who played the synthesizer, was an outgoing "free spirit" who used herself as a canvas, painting black streaks or bold marks on her face to contrast with outfits like a veil, halo of flowers, and white dress.
Runnels was from the East Coast, and Siegrist the Midwest. They met in the Bay Area a few years ago.
The two went to the warehouse show with friends, including musician Travis Hough, who also died in the fire and worked with Mixtape. Runnels's roommate, Johnnie Igaz, is listed among the missing.
Siegrist's cousin, Rhonda Ford, said the musician grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and described her as someone who could talk to anybody and lived life to the fullest.
She said the family is awaiting formal notification of her death.
The Heart of Oakland
Ara Jo, 29, was a vibrant artist and community organizer who could make friends with anyone, anywhere, friends said.
Jo grew up in Los Angeles and was living in Oakland. Her parents flew in from South Korea after being notified of her death.
"She's a typical artist. She's got more causes than she has energy, even though she has a lot of energy," said her boyfriend, Terry Ewing.
Ewing said one of her latest causes was to raise money and awareness for American Indians and others protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline Project in North Dakota.
Friends mourned Jo on social media, calling her the heart of Oakland.
A Father of Twins
Alex Ghassan, 35, was the father of twin toddlers. He was a director and producer who worked with Spike Lee and Talib Kweli.
His fiancée, Hanna Henrikka Ruax, is listed as missing. Ruax is a yoga instructor, entrepreneur, and activist visiting from Helsinki, Finland. She arrived in Oakland in late November.
The pair had been dating long-distance and Ghassan was preparing to move to Europe, said his roommate Vikram Babu.
"He was fed up with the U.S.," Babu said.
Ghassan previously resided in Orange, New Jersey. He has lived in Oakland on and off for about a year, Babu said.
Ghassan's mother, Emilie Grandchamps, told WABC-TV that Ghassan often went out of his way to help other artists.
Before the fire, Ghassan posted video of the warehouse party on Instagram. "Oakland reminds me of #JerseyCity so much at times," he wrote.
Ruax, meanwhile, is a social justice activist who organized a large protest in Finland after a neo-Nazi rally in that European country, Babu said. "She is very gentle," he said.
Ruax's Instagram account is filled with playful photos of her and Ghassan. Last week, she posted a selfie with Ghassan where both made funny faces into the camera.
"Sent this pic to my mumz after arriving home to my boo," she wrote. "Home sweet home!"
A Passionate Music Therapist
Travis Hough, 35, believed music healed people, including himself.
Hough was an experimental electronic artist behind Ghost of Lightning, a project in which he created music to explore and understand his own psyche, said Michelle Campbell, founder of Mixtape, an artist management company based in Oakland.
Hough worked by day as a therapist in schools in the Bay area, using music to help children cope with trauma, Campbell said.
"Really his passion was his work in helping find ways to use music as a means of healing," Campbell said.
Hough played bass and keyboard and was a performance artist who was inspired by Prince and other male performers "who wear ruffles, glitter and makeup," she said. His shows included orbs of rhythmically pulsating light.
He enjoyed a good meal with family and friends and hiking through northern California's Redwood forests.
"He was definitely a radiant light," Campbell said.
An Extraordinary Coworker
Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, made a warm impression on friends and colleagues in California and Rhode Island as a musician, mentor, and community advocate who most recently worked for an independent publisher.
Berkeley, California-based publisher Counterpoint Press said Monday it was devastated by the loss of an "extraordinary coworker and a true friend."
"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 jacket or manuscript, he made everyone feel like they were his friend," the company wrote in a social media post. "He was kind, considerate, hilarious."
Gomez-Hall was a 2013 graduate of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he concentrated in American Studies. The university on Monday said he "played an integral role" in the school's Swearer Center for Public Service. He volunteered to teach at an elementary school while an undergraduate and later helped run an after-school program.
He also became well-known in Providence's music scene for playing guitar and singing in the two-man band Nightmom.
Gomez-Hall recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. He was originally from Southern California and graduated from Coronado High School.
A "Total Goofball"
Cash Askew, a 22-year-old musician from Oakland, was kind, gentle and a "total goofball," said her girlfriend, Anya Taylor.
The couple met about a year ago at a concert in Oakland and connected through their love of music.
Taylor told the Washington Post she rushed to the scene after hearing about the blaze but "all we could do was stand there."
Leisa Baird Askew said her daughter grew up in a musical and artistic family.
Cash was one of two members of the band Them Are Us Too. She had been performing with bandmate Kennedy Ashlyn since 2013. The duo met while studying at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Ashlyn said Askew recently started becoming "her best self" after she came out as transgender about two years ago.
A Teacher and Gardener
Sara Hoda, 30, of Walnut Creek, was a "sweet person" who gardened and taught at a Montessori school, friend Carol Crewdson told the Los Angeles Times.
Crewdson, 33, met Hoda in 2010 when they started a collective where artists and creatives could stay, avoiding the San Francisco Bay Area's high rent.
They lost touch after the collective shut down. But Crewdson said while it was operating, Hoda was very active in the collective process.
A Unique Sense of Style
Donna Kellogg, 32, of Oakland, was described as energetic and intelligent by friends and coworkers.
Josh Howes, an ex-boyfriend, said Kellogg wanted to be a healer, the East Bay Times reported. He said she was studying nutrition.
Kellogg worked at Highwire Coffee Roasters, where founder Robert Myers said she had just cut her hair and was on the brink of changes. He said all her coworkers enjoyed connecting with her through their shared interests in coffee and her quirky sense of style.
"I loved that she had a belt with her name on it and would wear it to work," Myer said.
Other Victims
The city of Oakland also identified among the victims Em Bohlka, 33, of Oakland; Michela Gregory, 20, of San Francisco; Edmond Lapine, 34, of Oakland; Jennifer Morris, 21, of Foster City; Jennifer Kiyomi Tanouye, 31, of Oakland; David Clines, 35, of Oakland, and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, of Hayward.
Another victim has been identified, but officials said they were withholding the name because the person was 17 years old.
One of the people killed was the son of a local deputy, Kelly said Sunday. He did not release the name.
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