anger after a fire tore through an oakland warehouse on friday night. 36 people are dead and the area is being considered a potential crime scene. sky 7 live over the scene in oakland as day three of the recovery effort continues at the ghost ship warehouse site. good afternoon. thnks for joining us today. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm eric thomas in for larry sglooel new details about the fire and investigation have been coming in all day long. abc 7 news anchor dan ashley is live at scene. dan, you've been out there.

it's been pretty grim. >> reporter: i have, eric, and ama, good evening to you. a lot of news is happening here today. as you look behind me you saw the live picture from 7 hd and behind me you see the burned out hole that was the ghost ship warehouse that's sadly become a tomb for 36 people and they do expect that number to go up as they search the rest of the building. work has stopped at front of the building out of fear that there could be a potential for collapse. one wall was fairly unstable so they are worried about that, and it's not just because of danger to the firefighters either, but also to preserve the area as potential criminal evidence. that's an important phrase, criminal evidence. this morning crews pulled free three more bodies totaling as i said 36 killed by the fire. they have now searched 75% of the building, and they expect that they may find more victims as well. tonight work could continue in areas closed because of potential danger. they hope that they will be able to get back to work searching

the rest of the building. a news conference wrapped up here less than an hour ago ten feet from where i'm standing. my colleague, abc 7 news reporter laura anthony was attending that news conference, and is here with the latest information on the investigation and the recovery effort. laura? >> well, that's right, dan. we also saw some images as to what it looks like inside that building. and recovery effort, search and recovery effort continues. because of some concern about the front wall they have been working mostly in the back area of the building. we understand that that work began again this morning at about 9:00. let show you some video from sky 7. what we shot this morning. this is the building as it looks at this point with the roof completely collapsed. the death toll holds steady at 36. it lists three of the victims from outside the united states, including, we're told taiwan, guatemala and finland. among the assets that have been brought in to help with this search and recovery effort, a

giant crane, but first pg&e had to cut off power to the immediate area. that happened just within the past hour, and, again, at this point they think they have searched most of this gutted structure. very carefully as it is also a potential crime scene. >> we owe it to the community, to those who perished in this fire and to those who survived the fire to be methodical, to be thorough and to take the amount of time it takes to be able to look at every piece of potential evidence. >> there's two areas of concern that we still have, and -- and at this time we can't locate any -- any other deceased victims, but we are prepared to remove them if the fire department and atf do locate them. >> reporter: the firefighters and search crews inside the

building, they are literally going through the debris bucket by bucket. it's to preserve evidence and whatever human remains might still be inside that building. they are taking those buckets and they are putting them in dump trucks and then taking them to a site off site to go through them a second time even more carefully. now, there are two key areas that they have yet to be able to search. one of them, we're told, is a stage area on the second floor. there's also another area near the front of the building which is the area they can't search just yet. there are some windows in that area, and there's suspicion there may be more victims there, but if there's any good news in all of this, dan, it is that the sheriff greg ahern said this afternoon he does not expect a huge number, his words, of additional victims, that they feel like they have recovered most of the bodies. they do have a list of folks that are miss mc, something like 50, but he suspects that many of

those were not at this party or in this building on friday night, so they may be more victims, but as he said not a huge number. back to you. >> well, we can at least be thankful for that, laura. we can at least be thankful for that, laura, if that is the case. let's hope that they do not find any more bodies at all, but certainly not a significant number of bodies. now we now know the names of three major players in regards to the warehouse and the event that took place. ch ng owns the building and lease it had to an artist collective owned by deric ion almena who rented it out to different artists who worked and lived in this structure. jon hrabko was one of the promoters of the party. oakland city council officials exnaekt there was no special

permit for this event hand that's why a criminal investigation is ongoing. we were able to speak exclusively with the owner of the man who operated this building, deric ion almena. we did track him down and he was criticized for a facebook post where he didn't make any reference to the victims and he's since deleted his facebook page and he smoke to us briefly in oakland, and it's an interview you'll see only on abc 7. >> people have been wondering if you have anything to say to them. >> they are my children. they were my friends, they are my family, my loves hand my future. what else do i have to say? >> now, since ion did not have a permit fire officials say criminal charges are a very real possibility, even if the cause of the fire was accidental. thee was a lot of investigating being done here in addition to this recovery effort. everything being preserved for a

potential criminal case in this matter. again, there has been a lot of news and a lot of developments here on the scene at 31st and international boulevard at the site of this ghost ship warehouse tragedy. more to come here at 4:00, but let's go back to eric and ama. >> thank so much. the abc 7 inews began reporting about a long trail of complaints against the warehouse and the dangerous conditions there. >> there are new questions tonight about the actions the city took or failed to take that could have saved lives. dan noyes is back with the i-team investigation. >> the i-team has confirmed six complaints were filed against the ghost ship warehouse site in just the past two years. now, these are photos of what the city called blight alternate location and yet on at least two occasions inspectors unable to go inside the building to see dangerous conditions. pictures show the mishmash of arts and debris and all the random wiring throughout the building.

i spoke with a former nanny for the man who ran the ghost time deric ione almena. >> it was more like this place is dangerous overall it. wasn't -- i mean, just the amount of stuff that was in there and where it was place the. i mean, there was nails coming out of the ground, the staircase that a lot of people are hearing about. that was a real thing. the makeshift staircase. >> this photo shows the staircase where firefighters say many of the victims became trapped. coming up at 6:00, a neighbor tells me his family complained to the city repeatedly over the past two years about the parties and dangers at that site, and you'll hear our new interview with the planning and building department. they are trying to figure out how they problems continued for so long and were not seriously addressed and ended in this tragedy. ama and eric. >> really disturbing. >> thanks a lot. we're learning so much today about those who died in the fire. so far 33 victims of the 36 killed in the fire have been identified. three of the dead are from outside the u.s., south korea,

finland and guatemala. abc 7 news reporter jessica castro has a closer look. >> reporter: all of these victims were young, and they have something in common. they all loved the arts, and i want to show you new pictures that we've received of david klein, 24 years old. he lived in oakland, and recently graduated from uc berkeley in computer science. his brother in a statement wrote, quote, david was an incredible man and an amazing brother, a perfect son and an inspiring friend to everyone who was fortunate enough to have him in their lives. he described david as, quote, kind, open, non-judgmental and excited about life. his brother signed the note, quote, david, we love you forever. 32-year-old donna kellogg recently graduated from san francisco state. she was an avid drummer and loved the outdoors and cooking. brandon chase witnouer described by friends on facebook as a talented mourn yafn the 32-year-old lived in cities across california and abroad in nicaragua for two years.

one friend wrote he what is a genuine guy. travis huff, 35 years old on facebook and friends describe him as a musical genius. he was in a band called ghost of lightning that released an album this year under an independent label. nick hull, a friend wrote the this morning, he was a positive influence on everyone he met. 259-year-old was a world traveler. cash askew, part of a musical duo named them are us, too. their sound club website shows they had a gig fwhookd argentina for next year. the band's facebook page has been flooded with messages in the last two days, and last lit 17-year-old who died mentioned often in the notes in the makeshift memorials. he has been identified as dravin mcgill who attended the school of the arts in san francisco and school officials sent out a statement confirming the death earlier this morning. we'll continue to pass along information as we get it.

jessica castro, abc 7 news. also among victims, 30-year-old walnut creek resident sarah head whoorks was a teacher at the montessori school in oakland. more about her coming up later this hour. president barack obama is offering prayers to the victims' families and the people of oakland hand thanks to first responders for their tireless work. in a statement mr. obama said oakland is one of the most diverse and christ cities in our country and its families and residents pulled together in the wake of this awful tragedy. they will have the unwavering support of the american people. the president also promised authorities everything they need operationally and in their investigation. >> coming up on "abc 7 news at 4:00," the dangers of buildings like the ghost ship. a closer look at the conditions inside the building and what investigators are facing in the search. >> and the impact on businesses in the neighborhood surrounding

we are live from the warehouse in oakland where 36 people were killed in a fire that started late friday. the scene is right over my shoulder here. searchers have gone through 75% of the building right now. they are unsure if any more bodies will be found. the slightly encouraging news we've heard here late today, just within the hour, is that they don't think there will be a large number of victims still to be found if they do in fact find anyone else. they think they have recovered most of the victims, but they still expect there may be more. the work stopped because of structural concerns here behind me for the time being, but they

have been working all day to fix that situation right now. crews are working in the back of the warehouse and investigating areas where the fire could have started. of course, they all want to know why and how it started? it is all being done carefully to preserve potential criminal evidence in that tragedy. the district attorney said late this afternoon if her office pursues charges, they could range from involuntary manslaughter to murder. and the warehouse where this tragedy happened is known as the ghost ship. this is -- in reepts years it was a two-story haven for artists who lived and worked there. we will have some photographs of what it looked like that you can see from its website. packed with makeshift studios, workshops, residences, cramped with pianos, couch eds, beds and furniture. now, let's take an aerial view from google earth of the area surrounding the ghost ship before the fire. it's a mixed use neighborhood

with homes, shops hand warehouses in oakland's fruitvale district right where i'm standing. here's how it looked on the ground from google's street view. you can see the debris strewn in front of the building, something that we've heard neighbors complaining about. last month the city of oakland in fact also issued a notice regarding a blight concern. they started zeroing in on the point where the fire started but they have not made a final determination on what started it. that could take some time they spoke with officials about the next step. as a police officer told me saturday night, that's why we have fire codes. >> reporter: he knows exactly how fast fires can spread and how deadly they can be especially in enclosed spaces. in the first moments after the

fire people who survived describe an inferno. some tried to get others out. >> i was going back to get my camera and my computer and another member of the collect ive had broken his aingele and was calling out for help. >> reporter: this expert says how quickly the room can become smoke filled. >> they make a wrong turn, instead of turning to the left they turn to a right and end up in a dead end closet and die. >> reporter: ghost ship warehouse has been described as a labyrinth of shared living and performance spaces. there was all manner of materials inside, carpets, wood, glue, paint for art projects, a deadly combination. >> in an enclosure, the hot gases that you're producing anywhere in the rom go to the ceiling and start filling the ceiling out and now the raid yntant heat from the ceiling layer is driving the fire. >> reporter: in the ghost ship fire ceiling collapsed. as the recovery effort continues

for people who die dehaene says cities across the bay area should learn some lessons on code enforcement and those who live, work and play in spices like this also need to have a plan in case something goes wrong. >> when i go into a restaurant or party or whatever, i'm finding the table closest to the exits because i know i'll have a better chance to get out. >> and if some place doesn't look safe leave. sergio quintana, abc 7 news. >> clearly this scene was not safe on friday night when this happened with really very little chance for so many trapped inside to get out, so a number of things happening here today. it's still very much a recovery effort, but it's also shifting primarily now to a criminal investigation to see exactly what and how and i am this terrible tragedy happened. more to come here from this scene at the ghost ship warehouse. ama and eric, let's go back for you. >> thanks so much, dan. >> the oakland warehouse is the

scene of a deadliest blaze at a music venue in the u.s. since 2003. a fire at the station nightclub in west warrick, rhode island killed 100 people. pyrotechnics used by the band great white set fire to foam inside the club and the deadliest fire killed 492 people at boston's coconut grove in 1942. that blaze led to the requirement of sprinkler systems and exits. internationally the deadliest music fire happened when a welding accident killed 309 people at a disco in a central chinese city. >> the fire is having a big impact on bitses around the warehouse that burned down. authorities have closed off several blocks of international boulevard leaving many buses off limits including a wendy's that's being used as a command center. employees had to be escorted in just to retrieve personal items.

street closure has shut down a health clinic and is hurting stores depending on year-end sales. >> it is going to be bad. >> have to cancel some dentistry appointments and psychology appointments. people need it. >> authorities say international boulevard could reopen by wednesday or possibly the end of the week. of course, we'll have much more on the fire and what we heard today at the news conference coming up in the newscast and right now how about a look at the weather. >> drew tuma is in for spencer. drew? >> cold air is arriving tomorrow and then the return of rain starting on wednesday. live doppler 7 showing it's a quite picture out there. no rain overhead and a significant amount of cloud cover throughout the day has really limited how warm we have gotten today. we're stuck in the 50s. let's show you what's happening on your tuesday. early on in the morning we're track the chance of an isolated sprinkle. a weak wave of energy will move through, and it won't be widespread wet weather. by noont clouds stay intact, and by afternoon very similar

temperatures to where we are right now pretty much topping out in the low to mid-50s so a cool day on the way tuesday and in the wake of that weak piece of energy moving through in the morning, that will bring even cooler air by wednesday morning. so wednesday will be a frosty morning. we do expect widespread 30s across the region mid-week here. that means areas of frost are very likely and take your nets and if they are inside cover your plants because they are susceptible to the cold temperatures this time of the year. future weather will show you the return of wet weather. wednesday at 3:00, a 1, a light storm on the storm impact scale first moves into the north bay and after sunset we do expect the rain to expand in coverage. by 8:00 we're seeing light showers across the majority of the bay area, and this rain does not let up. looks to continue early in the day on thursday and even a thursday morning rush and by 7:00 in the morning still tracking light showers and then on thursday the storm will actually intensify and it will be upgraded to a 2, a moderate storm on the storm impact scale. future weather showing you by the evening hours we do expect

downpours to develop and this could linger into friday as well. we do expect high amounts in the north bay, as much as 2 1/2 inches and 1 to 2 inches through friday. the south bay will see rainfall a little bit less than that nearing half han inch of rain in the santa cruz mountains. could see as much as 3 inches. an isolated sprinkle tomorrow morning. not widespread. a chilly day and rain arrives in the evening and lasting all day thursday and intensifying and lingering friday and we're looking at another chance of wet weather coming in on sunday. >> drew, thank you. >> sure. a series of smash-and-grab robberies all at apple senators an

east palo alto police have arrested a man for the murder of a little girl. it was the mother's live-in

boyfriend. the 2-year-old's death was originally ruled suspicious, but after an autopsy it found she died because of foul play. police began investigating and say the live-in boyfriend was responsible for the child's death. the man is not the child's father. palo alto police hope the arrest of snupts a brazen robbery at apple store on university avenue will lead to more people being captured, and detectives think that crime might be linked to similar break-ins at apple stores around the bay area. abc 7 news reporter vic lee has more. >> apple was taking no chances today. security guards stood in front of its door on university avenue. a white wooden board covered the hole in the thick glass window through which the thieves entered. the suv that was used to ram the window sat in the police garage. this is what it looked like yesterday. it happened just after 4:00 in the morning. the burglars crashed the rented car through the window and creating a hole big enough for them to crawl through. the force of the crash disabled

the vehicle. police say 8 to 10 people began ripping electronics and iphones from the display tables just like the burglars did during this heist at the san francisco apple store earlier this month. when palo alto police responded, they found another car nearby. >> and then our officers located a second car that was abandoned in an alleyway about a block away that had new iphones and laptops strewn all about it. >> reporter: he also found four of the suspected burglars, these two, shakin ferguson and eric ann white and two juveniles. since october there have been numerous heists at apple stores around the bay area, three in san francisco and several in berkeley and a couple on the peninsula as well as this one. in each case the robbers ran in, grabbed what they could and ran off. yesterday's burglary may be linked to the others, even though the m.o. was different. >> many of the others that have happened throughout the bay area simply have been while the

stores are open and they are basically shoplifts. >> reporter: palo alto police tell us san francisco police and other law enforcement agencies have been in contact with them. apple did not respond to our inquiries. vic lee, abc 7 news. coming up on "abc 7 news at 4:00" -- >> it was a hell hole, a death trap. >> residents are now coming forward and why they say the building was so dangerous. and why stealing electricity is a recipe for disasterterm the warning from "17 on your side's" michael finney. ♪ tomorrow's the day we'll play something besides video games. every day is a gift especially for people with heart failure. but today there's entresto®- a breakthrough medicine that can help make more tomorrows possible. tomorrow, i want to see teddy bait his first hook. in the largest heart failure study ever,

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all seems beautiful to me. this is a view from above of that warehouse. sky 7 has been over it over the weekend at the scene in oakland. at least 36 people died in that fire that torched the ghost ship warehouse in oakland. so far 33 people have been identified. >> and today we're learning more about the investigation into the fire. abc 7 news anchor dan ashley is live at the scene with the very latest. dan? >> their, eric and am ark. the number of people killed up to 36 today and that number still could ice and the

encouraging sign is they don't believe they will find a large number of further victims. we'll have to see, but they do expect they may find additional victims. the number now is 36. there are new questions into the deadly fire in oakland. a criminal investigation is well under way trying to track down where the fire started precisely and how this tragedy should have been prevented. here's abc 7 news reporter dania backes. >> reporter: the number of those continues to grow as we learn the identities of victims, mostly in their 20s and 30s and some even teenagers, as investigators work to figure out a cause, questions of if this could have been prevented are mounting. local officials saying the warehouse, known as an artist collective, had numerous code violations and complaints of people living there illegally. >> you smelledcality urine and feces and rotting food and piles of laundry, you know, that are mildewy because they didn't have hot water. >> reporter: authorities said

today a criminal investigation team is on the case. >> the range of charges could be murder all the way to involuntary manslaughter, and until we know what the evidence shows us there may be other charges. >> reporter: building eflupgt an inferno friday, trapping party-goers on the second floor when a makeshift stairwell of wooden palettes was blofnlgtd the man who founded the ghost ship collective speaking exclusive to affiliate kgo. >> they are my children. they are my friends. they are my family. they are my loves, my future. what else do i have to say? >> reporter: recovery efforts have resumed here, and we've learned that a 12-hour power outage is scheduled for this area because a large crane is needed to complete the work. and in fact literally just a moment or two ago that large crane started to move into position and we saw one of the palettes go down so they have

begun that work here as this investigation really begins to pick up steam now that the recovery effort is nearly complete. alameda county will fly flags at half staff outside facilities it operates to honor the victims lost in the warehouse fire. abc 7 news was at oakland city hall where flags are also being flown at half staff to remember the victims. you will likely see the same outside other public build national oakland and other communities as well no doubt as really not just this city, not just this neighborhood but this entire region and even the country, as can you gather from the huge numbers of media who are here, really come to terms with the magnitude and scope of this terrible tragedy. we'll have more, but right now let's go back to abc 7 news in the studio and ama. >> all right. dan, thank you so much. friends amend family are sharing their memories of the victims. one of people we honor said is a teacher, just 30 years old from walnut creek.

abc news reporter l ho nni rivera has her story. >> when you're 6 years old it's not easy understanding the loss of life. monday morning this class learned their beloved teacher died in the oakland ghost warehouse fire. >> any time we lose a community member we feel it, and -- and in a case as tragic as this one for sure it hits deeper. >> yeah. it's definitely hard. you know, we're here to support our spunts creating spaces for them to be able to talk with their teachers and share their feelings. >> reporter: heart-shaped cards is today's classroom project, each one a special tribute for sara hoda who worked in this room as a support teacher. friends say hoda was compassionate, loved gardening and kids. >> her family is planning to visit the school today, and we -- we hope we can pass along some of those rememberings and offerings to her family. >> reporter: grief counselors are on hand to console this entire school community as they

process their loss. >> many of our students go through a lot of grief on a regular basis, a lot of trauma, so this is -- this is east oakland, and -- and, you know, we -- we just look to support them no matter what. >> reporter: it was sara hoda's first year working that the montessori school and in that short time she left a lasting impression. grief counselors will stay here today through tomorrow. lonni, rivera, abc 7 news. sara hoda is just one of the 36 victims of the deadly oakland warehouse fire. you can learn more about the victims who have been identified on abc7news.com. two vigils are scheduled for today to honor the fire victims. at 5:30 a gathering will take place across the bay from the scene in san francisco at harvey milk plaza and at 8:00 p.m. one will be held at the pittsburgh l.a. along lake merritt in oakland. people who have lived at the ghost ship collective say it was a dangerous place.

>> amy hollyfield spoke with one former resident. >> as people continued to grieve at the site of friday night's deadly fire in oakland, for some that grief is turning to anger. >> it was a hr ell hole, a dealt trap. >> shelly lived inside for five month and decided to speak out today and describe what it was like inside because she is angry this happened and says it could have been prevented. >> shortly after i moved in, the transformer blew, and we had no electricity and i said how come we're not calling pg&e and that's when i found out it was an illegal hookup. she said she moved in because it was cheap, $700 a month and called police several times when she realized what was going on. she says the conditions inside were dangerous. >> they blocked the back stairway because they run the electrical cords down the back stairway, through them, over them so when there's an event they walk the back stairway because they don't want people walking down the stairway and tripping all over the illegal cords. >> reporter: a criminal

investigation has been launched to look into allegations like these. >> tentative landlords who may be using illegal hookups to steal electricity may be in trouble. >> michael finney continues our team coverage with that part of the story. >> i compare stealing electricity to a 4-year-old playing with matches. the san francisco fire department told us anyone who might split an electrical line or hack into a control panel is risking injury, even death. doing so can also cause the system to overload. there's one electrical union representative told us, an untrained and unlicensed electrician is unlikely to know how to control the voltage going into a home or building. one veteran of the rave scene says he lost eight friends in the fire. he's surprised something like this did not happen sooner. >> i've been in this scene for 20-plus years, i mean, you know, and, yeah, we party in the

unsafest warehouses ever and we got away with so much crap. >> an official briefed on the situation told the i-team's dan noyes that electricity is the likely cause of this fire. count on abc 7 news for the very latest into the cause of this horrendous fire. we'll keep investigating as well. >> all right, michael, thank you. hotline has been set up for those who have been impacted by the oakland warehouse fire. counsellors are available 24 hours a day and seven days a week to help those affected by the tragedy cope. the number is on your screen there, 1-800-985-5990. again, that's 1-800-985-5990. the help line immediately connects callers to counselors and the conversations are confidential. >> oakland artists are concerned at a crocdown of other collectives like the ghost ship. what orists are saying about their community and the places that are doing it right. ♪

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abc's own jimmy kimmel will host the 2017 academy awards. kimmel is use to emcee duties in awards shows hosting the emmys twice including this year and he's done the espiz and american music awards. kimmel tweeted, yes, i am hosting the oscars. this is not a prank, and if it is my revenge on the academy will be terrible and sweet. happening tonight, an important cause that benefits

underprivileged children and their families. olympic champions like skier jonny moseley and natalie coughlan will be at at&t park along with offensive tackle joe staley for the annual holiday heros fund-raiser. abc 7 is once again proud to support the event. our very own cheryl jennings and kristen sze will be there. for more information head to abc7news.com for more info. para you can certainly feel the cool air moving in. tomorrow we'll be in the 30s in the north day and a lot of widespread 40s. 44 san jose and 40 concord and a chilly 36 in fairfield. your highs on your tuesday, very similar to where we are right now. a lot of cloud cover, perhaps some peeks of sunshine in the afternoon and still only a high of 56 in hockey land and a cool 54 in san francisco and 56 san jose and 55 that high in santa rosa. we are tracking a major pattern

change. it has been a dry stretch of weather and as you go into wednesday we're anticipating the rain to move back out in the evening starting out as a light storm on the storm impact scale and we expect the system to intensify, especially on thursday, upgrading it to a 2, a moderate storm and lingering showers on friday and another system wants to move in here on sunday. let's go hour by hour for you on future weather. the rain begins first and light showers in the north bay and we do expect after the sunset and into the evening on wednesday, that's when the rain becomes widespread. light to moderate at times, and it looks like it will linger for quite a while. continuing into thursday morning and even for the thursday morning commute we do anticipate areas of rain continuing to fall and then thursday this storm intensifies and we upgrade it to a 2. and especially into the afternoon and early evening hours when you start to see the dark green colors on future weather, that's when we do anticipate heavier rain moving in. acweather seven-day forecast, show you what's happening in the

next seven days, could have an early morning isolated sprinkle in the pre-dawn hours. nothing widespread. it's a cool day and chilly morning on wednesday. we bring back the rain on wednesday evening and it intensifies on thursday and a linger shower on friday and another chance on sunday. >> that's a 2 on the scale. >> 2 on thursday. could so pockets of downpours, especially in the evening. >> thank you, drew. >> mm-hmm. still ahead at 4:00, new names announced for donald trump's cabinet. plus works could be the next secretary of state? >> and why it may not be the end of the line for dakota

e donald trump is trying to stay focused on filling his cabinet. today the president-elect tapped a former rival for a job. however, there are other developments including an expanding list for secretary of state. here's abc 7 news reporter lana zach. >> among those meeting with the president-elect at trump tower former vice president al gore. he didn't say if he was under consideration for a position, but he said they had had, quote, a sincere search for areas of common ground. >> i found it extremely interesting conversation, and -- ad to be continued, and i'm

just going to leave it at that. >> reporter: several cabinet positions are still open. >> we're looking forward to another very productive week. >> the most attention given to secretary of state. that list now stands at nine candidates, including jon huntsman, a former ambassador to china appointed by president obama. >> there's an expanded list. i'm on it. i'm honored and thrilled to be on that list. >> reporter: huntsman downplayed mr. trump's controversial call with the leader of taiwan saying it doesn't represent a shift in u.s.-china policy. and there are no more questions about dr. ben carson's role in the upcoming trump administration. president-elect trump announced dr. carson is his pick to head up housing and urban development writing on facebook that he is, quote, passionate about strengthening communities. >> democrats say they may challenge dr. carson over his qualifications to lead housing and urban development and mike huckabee has come to his defense saying he's the only potential secretary who has actually lived in public housing. lana zach, abc news, washington. incoming first daughter

ivanka trump and her husband jared kushner are reportedly house hunting. the move is no surprise. kushner is expected to take a senior leadership role in a future trump administration and ivanka is no stranger to the beltway and she studieded a georgetown for two years and led her father's redevelopment of the old post office into a new hotel. a federal court judge in michigan issued an order today for election officials in that state to begin recounting ballots. the count is also under way in wisconsin. green party presidential candidate jill stein is spear haing the recount efforts in the three states where president-elect donald trump narrowly defeated hillary clinton. a north carolina man faced multiple felonies for allegedly opening fire at a washington, d.c. pizzeria and it's the center of a baseless claim.

he went to the restaurant to investigate the claim that clinton ran a child sex ring out of the building. he was armed with an ar-15 assault rifle, handgun and a knife. he fired several shots and no one was hit. a south carolina judge today declared a mistrial in the case of police officer charged with murder in the death of a black motorist. the decision came after jurors told the judge they were unable to agree on a verdict for michael slager after 22 hours of deliberations over four days. he judge told jurors they could also consider a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. slager was standing trial for shooting 50-year-old walter scott to death after stopping him for having a broken tail light. an industry group supporting the dakota access pipeline is hoping president-elect donald trump clears the way for its completion. the group says the army corps of engineers decision to deny a permit for construction under a mississippi river reservoir in

north dakota is, quote, arrogance that working class americans soundly rejected on november 8th. the standing rock sioux say the pipeline threatens the water supply. major league baseball announced under armour will provide the players with on field gear. it's the biggest deal to date with the the pro league and the new protest will start in 2020. they are already the official shoe provider and sponsors 400 athletes in the majors hand minors. >> amazon is testing the grocery senator without checkout lance and shopper scans their amazon app when they enter the store and sensors register items that shoppers pick up and if the shopper puts the item back they are not charged for it.

abc 7 news at 4:00, the backlash in the artist community following the deadly fire in oakland. what artists say they are worried about now. >> and tonight on abc 7 news at 5:00, power outage and why pg&e turned off all the electricity around the warehouse. and a search for artist space in oakland. how rising rents play a role. >> and from friends to strangers. how folks are helping this is my park. i'm like the mayor here. i know every bench, every tree, every squirrel -- -hey, what's up, andy. -andy: hey! same with my banking. with my bank of america mobile banking app, i can see my accounts all in one place. i can easily manage them and if something doesn't look right, i'm going to know. plus, i can set up alerts to help detect unusual activity. so i feel secure. in other words, no surprises. morning. hey, abby. like i said. the mayor.

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here is tonight's primetime lineup. watch "the great christmas light fight" followed by "conviction" at 10:00 and, of course, do stay with us for "abc 7 news at 11:00" right after that. oakland's arts community worries what impact the devastating warehouse fire with the ghost ship collective might have on them. >> could it lead to crackdowns, that along with gentrification that could actually force them

out? our abc 7 news reporter carolyn tyler has been looking into that and has the story. >> like everyone in oakland's arts community, photograthis photographer mourns the vic it times of the warehouse fire and he's worried there will be a city crackdown on other artist collectives. >> almost every place where artists are living there's something wrong with it. >> reporter: his building was once a manufactuwarehouse for b warehouses. >> again tryification is happening like a tidal wave coming through oakland. >> reporter: that's what chuck degiroudo worries about in terms of threats to the artist enclaves. he runs a work space that he points out strictly follows the safety codes. >> that's the norm amongst most of the spaces. all of the space openers,

landlords, property managers that i know all do a really good job. >> reporter: cynthia elliott says that's the case at the ford street studios where she lives. this complex used to be a foundry but now is lots of for dozens of arthur millerists. elliott is wondering if there will be a backlash following the warehouse fire. oakland mayor libby schaaf plans to unveil a plan tomorrow to try to help keep artists here in oakland. it was in the works before that devastating warehouse fire. in west oakland, carolyn tyler, abc 7 news. >> all right. that will do it for this edition of "abc 7 news at 4:00." thanks so much for joining us. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm eric thomas. "abc 7 news at 5:00" starts now. a scene of heartbreak after a deadly inferno in observing lampd the d.a. says criminal

charges could be filed. as the death toll climbs to three dozen, we're hearing about details of the inside of the building. how easily anyone could be trapped. plus, a school comes together to honor a life lost too soon. tonight the fire's youngest victim so far. abc 7 news talks with someone with him that night who managed to escape. >> i just heard somebody yell out fire. >> by the time i was through the front doors i could just see the flames. >> shortly after i moved in, the transformer blew. it was a hell hole, a dealt trap. >> survivors from the oakland warehouse fire and people who used to live there are coming forward this evening. there are considerable new developments tonight. good evening, i'm eric thomas. >> reporter: and i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. thank you for joining us. we are live at the ghost ship warehouse at the corner of 31st avenue and international boulevard where there have been

some significant developments today in this tragic story in downtown oakland. investigators are beginning the process of zeroing in on a potential cause of this tragedy at the back of the building. within the last half hour, 45 minutes or so they brought in a giant crane to continue the work that they have here to do. 36 bodies have been pulled from the warehouse. at this moment all but three have been identified. they suspect there may be more victims inside but they are hopeful not a great number more. crews have searched 75% of the building's wreckage. the district attorney has interviewed several people and says possible criminal charges could range from involuntary manslaughter to murder. work is being done to protect the recovery area and crews doing the work and to preserve all possible evidence because this is very much being investigated as a potential crime scene, and several days of wet weather are expected in the days to come so there is some urgency here to get this work

done and the scene secured as quickly as possible before it starts raining which, of course, will only complicate their efforts in terms of the recovery and the investigation. now my colleague abc 7 news reporter laura anthony is with me here in downtown oakland at the site of the ghost ship warehouse and has more on today eats developments. laura? >> reporter: hi, dan. if there is a bright spot in all of this today, it's that the alameda county sheriff announced that now three-quarters of the building has been searched, he does not expect in his words a huge number of victims to be found in the remaining areas. now the search effort was delayed for a time this morning because of an unstable wall. after an overnight delay the difficult work of searching for bodies resumed, a painstaking job that requires crews to sift through the rubble largely by hand, literally one bucket at a time. it's a process shown in this photo released by