Portland’s Fire Bureau is asking the public for help to prevent a fire like the one that killed 36 people at an artist warehouse space called "the Ghost Ship" in Oakland this past weekend.
Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman said there are similarities between Portland and Oakland when it comes to the underlying issues of housing affordability and a lack of creative spaces.
Saltzman, who leads Portland’s Fire Bureau, is asking people to report any unsafe properties or unpermitted events by contacting the city’s code complaints line.
“We are haunted by what happened in Oakland and we want to do all we can to ensure we are doing our utmost in regards to code enforcement that prevents a similar tragedy from occurring in our city,” Saltzman said.
Portland already requires night clubs to have sprinkler systems.
Saltzman said he’s going to ask the City Council to expand that policy by requiring any venue hosting a large-scale event to have a sprinkler system.