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Owner of Oakland warehouse had business license for building

People look at the scene of a warehouse fire from behind a fence Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in Oakland , Calif. The fire killed dozens of people during a electronic dance party as it raced through the building, in the deadliest structure fire in the U.S. in more than a decade. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
People look at the scene of a warehouse fire from behind a fence Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in Oakland , Calif. The fire killed dozens of people during a electronic dance party as it raced through the building, in the deadliest structure fire in the U.S. in more than a decade. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) People look at the scene of a warehouse fire from behind a fence Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in Oakland , Calif. The fire killed dozens of people during a electronic dance party as it raced through the building, in the deadliest structure fire in the U.S. in more than a decade. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Associated Press 3 min read

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – The owner of an Oakland warehouse where 36 people died in a fire earlier this month had a business license for more than two decades, but firefighters charged with inspecting city businesses never reviewed the building, city officials confirmed.

The East Bay Times reports (http://bit.ly/2hrO9Ln ) Chor Ng, 62, filed for the license in 1995, writing on the form that she wanted to operate a “commercial rental.” She was up to date on annual business taxes, said Margaret O’Brien, Oakland’s revenue and tax administrator.

The revelation further highlights the lack of coordination and communication between city agencies responsible for registering and inspecting commercial buildings.

The warehouse owner has not responded to emails and calls made by The Associated Press to phone numbers associated with her. The landlord’s daughter, Eva Ng, told The Los Angeles Times that the Ng family didn’t know people were living in the warehouse in violation of city zoning laws.

Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said Tuesday there are no city records showing her department receiving concerns about the building, which former residents, neighbors and others say was the subject of numerous calls to 911.