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Local fire officials on guard against Oakland-like infernos People visit a makeshift memorial Monday near the site of a warehouse fire in Oakland, California, that killed 36 people Friday, Dec. 5. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Wednesday Dec 7, 2016 at 4:05 PM Dec 7, 2016 at 4:05 PM By Julie Akins for the Mail Tribune In the wake of a deadly fire last weekend at an abandoned warehouse in Oakland, California, Rogue Valley fire officials are stepping up efforts to ensure there's no similar tragedy here. Thirty-six people perished in the Dec. 2 fire during a dance party. Many who were there described the cluttered warehouse converted into artists' spaces and illegal living quarters as a death trap with piled wood and only two exits. “I think all of us worry about the things we don’t know about out there,” said Deputy Chief - Fire Marshal Greg Kleinberg of Medford Fire-Rescue, whose department inspects properties regularly looking for code enforcement violations. “If we had enough staff to inspect every year, it would take some of that worry off.” Buildings typically are inspected every two years, and the fire department checks out complaints that come in, but he admits it’s possible for something to be missed. “Owners (of warehouses and buildings) should know what’s going on and not allow that type of thing to happen.” The problem, says Kleinberg and Ashland Fire Marshal Marguerite Hickman, is that warehouses and commercial buildings are not set up to be concert halls and homes. “Warehouses can have open insulation and not enough exits or fire and carbon-monoxide monitoring. They aren’t going to be safe to live in,” said Kleinberg. Neither Medford nor Ashland fire officials recall anything close to the Oakland disaster happening in Southern Oregon, but there have been close calls. Hickman recalls a space on Benson Way in Ashland that could have been a disaster if they hadn’t found it first. “It was a commercial warehouse space. They had turned part of it into an apartment, and it was pretty luxurious considering the space. ... The other half was glass-blowing. It had materials that would not be safe to live with.” Hickman said the misuse of properties in that way or people seeking shelter in abandoned homes or buildings creates similar dilemmas. City officials don’t want to force people into the elements, but they can’t let them stay in an unsafe building. “We are required to hold up the requirements of the Oregon fire codes (and) that doesn’t allow people to sleep in their commercial buildings,” Hickman said. Fire officials say an increase in homeless people seeking alternative spaces can pose a danger for firefighters who don’t know people are in a building, and it’s hazardous for the people living there. Kleinberg said Medford recently completed a study of vacant-home fires and found there had been 41 since 2001, with more than $1 million in damage and two civilian injuries. “It’s a growing problem and the trend is upward,” he said. Hickman agreed with Kleinberg’s assessment. “If someone’s economics aren’t working out, they’ll turn their business space into a living space. The danger of it is that you don’t have proper exits and sleeping space.” Instances of warehouses and larger buildings being improperly used have occurred on occasion in the Rogue Valley, but not often. Kleinberg said he remembers a record store on South Riverside Avenue in Medford having concerts in the back of the store in an area designated for storage, and Hickman remembered a theater opening in a cold-storage warehouse. In both instances they were informed of the problem and cited the owners. “The first concern is the general public, especially when we’re talking about a space where they’re inviting lots of people. It’s a greater risk when there are lots of people,” said Hickman. She said Oregon's fire code allows people to use commercial buildings as temporary shelters, but noted a permit is required, as are safety features such as smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors. Rules also require someone to be on watch overnight at temporary shelters. The code allows temporary shelters for up to 90 days in a one-year period. Hickman and Kleinberg urged people to avoid events at places like the “Ghost Ship,” the name of the Oakland building, that are not set up with appropriate safety measures. “When you enter a building, look for well lit exits and smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors. We should be able to enter a building and believe it’s safe,” said Hickman. If it doesn’t look right, she said, don’t stay. They also asked people to report anything that appears to be a misuse of a commercial building either as living quarters or for gatherings. “One of the ways we find out is through complaints, and we investigate every one,” said Hickman. — Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/@julieakins.