The property is owned by Mead Avenue Housing Associates, a family concern run by Keith Kim, who has listed addresses in both North Oakland and Piedmont.
The documents show that the Fire Department's attention was drawn to hazardous conditions at the three-story building after an engine company made a service call to the property on Feb. 25.
The Fire Department's initial attempts to reach Kim or his property manager, identified in documents as Monsa Nitoto, were unsuccessful, city records show, and the OFD's Fire Prevention Bureau received a second referral about the building on March 18.
That second alert finally led to an inspection of the property last Friday, March 24.
Inspector David Davis uncovered an extensive list of serious violations.
Oakland firefighters who responded to Monday's blaze said they were uncertain the building had working alarms or sprinklers, and Davis's report suggested both of those critical safety systems were nonfunctional and that other emergency equipment was missing altogether.
Davis's report ordered immediate certification and service for the building's fire alarm and sprinkler systems. He also directed the building owner to provide other basic fire safety equipment: fire extinguishers; smoke alarms, which are required in each residential unit; emergency lighting and exit signs; and evacuation maps.
Davis also found other fire hazards. Extension cords were being used in place of electrical outlets throughout the building, and he ordered them removed immediately.
Davis also reported several other safety issues at the property, including mattresses piled against one side of the building, a large hole in the ceiling of one of the building's corridors, furniture strewn in an interior courtyard, and apparently unpermitted construction.
Under the city's regulations, the property would have been due to be reinspected in 30 days to confirm compliance with the Fire Prevention Bureau's orders.
Under state law, local fire officials are responsible for inspecting large residential buildings like 2551 San Pablo on a yearly basis. The previous fire inspection history of the structure that burned Monday was not immediately available.
The fire safety violations found Friday were just the latest of about 30 blight and habitability complaints filed against the property by tenants and neighbors since Mead Avenue Housing Associates -- a Kim family limited partnership -- acquired 2551 San Pablo in 1991.
The most recent of those complaints was filed March 2, when Urojas Community Services and its founder, the Rev. Jasper Lowery, alleged the property was riddled with problems due to deferred maintenance. City records show one of the Planning and Building Department's code inspectors toured the building with Lowery and an associate, the Rev. Aurea Lewis, and documented violations in several locations.
"They showed me a major plumbing leak which alleged to come from the 3rd floor affecting unit #215 and 113D, which had opened ceiling with leaking water," a note from inspector Jung W. Loo reported. "Noted electrical violations and unit 218 had a toilet leak which damaged the flooding in the kitchen; took pictures."
The March 3 inspection occurred during an ongoing eviction dispute between property owner Keith Kim and Urojas.
In December, Kim sent Urojas a three-day eviction notice, citing non-payment of $118,000 in rent due on the property dating back to October 2015. Lowery and his Urojas organization retained attorney James Cook, an associate of civil rights lawyer John Burris, to fight the eviction.
According to emails provided by Cook, Oakland City Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney met with Kim and representatives of Urojas in February to try to settle the dispute and find a way to facilitate repairs at 2551 San Pablo and continue providing services for local residents there. But that effort failed earlier this month, an email exchange involving McElhaney, Cook and the Rev. Lowery shows, when Lowery disputed McElhaney's suggestion that Urojas had agreed to vacate the building by April 1.
McElhaney told reporters at the scene of Monday's fire she had been involved in "ongoing discussions to address some of the deferred maintenance issues and improve habitability in the building."
Kim filed a 30-day eviction notice against Urojas on March 17. Cook said in an interview Monday he was determined to fight the eviction, though earlier he had offered to settle the case with Kim in exchange for $180,000 and an agreement to give Urojas 90 days to vacate the San Pablo Avenue building.
Attempts on Monday to reach Kim for comment were not successful.
Monday’s fatal blaze comes nearly four months after Ghost Ship fire, which killed 36 people attending a dance party in an illegally converted warehouse on 31st Avenue in Oakland's Fruitvale district.
The Ghost Ship building had been the subject of a similarly troubled code enforcement history, with repeated complaints about blight and the construction of unpermitted living spaces. The tragedy also raised still-unresolved questions about the effectiveness of Oakland's code enforcement process -- questions that are sure to be revived by the 2551 San Pablo fire.
Other recent verified or open complaints on file against 2551 San Pablo Ave. include:
- February 2017: Large amount of trash and debris, building materials, furniture in back of property. City records show the complaint was verified and a letter of violation sent to the building’s owner.
- December 2016: No working heat throughout the building, electrical issues and a large pest infestation. The city says this complaint remains open.
- September 2016: Pipe in a kitchen sink is missing causing water leakage and mold and the floor is caving in.
