Exit strategy on minds of local concertgoers after Oakland fire
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Guests heading into a show at the Tracadero theater Monday night in Chinatown were ready to have a good time.
But now, they're much more aware of their surroundings.
Most of the arriving guests Action News spoke with were well aware of the deadly warehouse blaze that broke out during an electronic dance party in Oakland, California.
36 people have been confirmed dead and that number is expected to rise.
"It's a shame. It happens too often," Erica Kleckner of Manayunk said.
Many told us they've made it a habit to always look for emergency exits
"Just in case anything happens and I have to get out in a hurry, you always make sure where you can go and where you have to go," Shawn O'Brien of Laurel Springs, NJ said.
While others admitted they hardly give it much thought and that they trust the venue owner or operator to ensure that the building is properly licensed in inspected.
But Karen Guss with Licenses and Inspection says it's wrong to trust even the owner of a venue with your safety.
"We have had to shut down spaces that were being used by artists doing wonderful, exciting, imaginative work, but not in a safe way," Guss said.
Guss says the city has had to shut down nearly a dozen venues in the past several years due to violations.
"These sort of unlicensed party spaces that have a lot of things about them that are cool and fun, but also can really be death traps if something goes wrong," Guss said.
L&I says if you spot places that have safety violations call 311.
