As the death toll from the Oakland Ghost Ship warehouse fire continues to rise, the reported leader of the Ghost Ship Artist Collective has sparked outrage on social media for lamenting the loss of his possessions in the deadly blaze.
“Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone,” Derick Ion, who reportedly ran the warehouse collective, wrote on Facebook early Saturday morning. “Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound… it’s as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope…. to be standing now in poverty of self worth.”
The Oakland warehouse went up in flames during a party late Friday night. Officials are still searching the building. As of Sunday the death toll was 33 and expected to rise in the coming days.
The warehouse reportedly did not have fire sprinklers or a clear exit path and, according to USA Today, last month the city opened an investigation into the structure’s safety.
ABC News reports that officials warned Ion that the warehouse was a fire hazard.
As of Sunday, Ion’s Facebook post had generated more than 2,200 comments, nearly all expressing outrage and horror at Ion’s apparent concern over material loss.