Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

David Cline of Santa Monica Among 33 Confirmed Dead in Oakland Fire

24 year old was identified with other missing and confirmed dead.

The Ghost Ship fire in Oakland killed at least 33 people, including David Cline of Santa Monica. He was apparently moved to Berkeley and studied there. His name was released along with the names of 12 other victims in the historic tragedy.

Other names and ages of victims released Sunday night include: Cash Askew, 22, Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Sara Hoda, 30, Donna Kellogg, 32, Nex Iuguolo, 32,

Family have also identified Pete Wadsworth, Barrett Clark, Ara Jo and 17-year-old Draven McGill as missing and believed to be victims.

Cline graduated from UC Berkeley last year with bachelor's degrees in cognitive science and computer science, the Daily Californian reported. Cline's brother Neil Cline posted an update to Facebook approximately three hours before the city of Berkeley published the press release.

"We just received word that my brother David Cline passed away in the Oakland Fire," Neil Cline said in the Facebook post. "To all of you, thank you. Thank you for your kindness, help and love. To David, we love you. You will be with us always."

On Sunday, the coroner’s office identified six other people killed in the fire. They included Travis Hough, 35, a creative arts therapist and a member of the band Ghosts of Lightning; Donna Kellogg, 32, a barista pursuing a degree in culinary arts; Sara Hoda, 30, a teacher at a Montessori school; and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, an electronic music artist, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. There was Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, a “musical loving genius” who worked at a publisher based in Berkeley, and David Cline, 24, of Oakland, who loved to play the clarinet, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Among the dead was the son of a deputy with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, the agency in charge of recovering and examining bodies recovered from the fire, the Chronicle reported.

Fire crews have searched 30 percent of the building, but it will be days until they can access entire warehouse. The confirmed deadline is now 33 and is expected to rise.

Authorities say that due to the condition of the bodies, they may need to consult dental records or even may require some families to bring in items for DNA matching, such as a hairbrush.

Officials say there was no sprinkler system in the two-story building and firefighters saw no evidence that smoke detectors were activated during the fire. The night club was under investigation by local authorities at the time of the fire, for numerous health and safety code violations.

 

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