The warehouse fire that killed 36 people in Oakland, California, has turned into a valuable safety lesson for inspectors around the country. NH1 News has learned, Portsmouth city officials are stepping up building inspections to assure fire codes are being met, to avoid a similar deadly disaster.

Cisco Meneses, who inspects fire escape around the country, took us on a tour of downtown Portsmouth where most buildings are more than 100 years old. He pointed out rusted out steps, obstructed entrances, and other fire code violations.

“These things are very dangerous. They’re collapsing and they haven’t been maintained,” Meneses said.

He says three out of four fire escapes fail inspection. New Hampshire is one of few states that doesn’t have a mandatory five year fire escape inspection law.

Meneses, who teaches fire safety, advised Oakland officials several years ago of the fire hazards in old warehouse buildings like the Ghost Ship Warehouse. That’s where 36 people died on December 2. Most of the victims were stuck on the second floor.

“They had an egress issue. There were no fire escapes on the outside,” Meneses told NH1 News.

The Ghost Warehouse hadn’t been inspected in 30 years and now Oakland city officials are being sued by several of the victims’ families.

Since that tragedy, Portsmouth city officials have stepped up their building inspections. One building of concern is Portsmouth’s Button Factory, which like the Oakland warehouse, is partitioned into artists’ spaces. A city inspection on Dec 7th showed “several suites having sleeping accomodations” and that’s a violation of city regulation.

Recent building inspections show at least six buildings in Portsmouth were cited for fire safety code violations.