Oakland Warehouse Fire Victim is Former Claremont Resident

CLAREMONT, CA — As the names of the lost from Oakland's deadly "Ghost Ship" warehouse fire were released, friends of poet Em Bohlka, a 33-year-old who grew up in Claremont, were devastated to hear she was one of the victims.

"I'd ask the sky but it's only S-K-Y. ... I ask you, how can the universe fit between A and Z?" —Excerpt of Em Bohlka poem previously published in the Pomona Valley Review.

Previously known as Matthew Bohlka, her birth name, Em began identifying as a woman this year, according to her family.

"Em was a poet who worked as a baker and barista. She was Buddhist, a photographer and a poet," her former partner and current roommate, Natalie Jahabani, said in a San Francisco Gate interview.

She earned her English degree from UC Riverside, and her master's degree in literature from Cal Poly Pomona before moving to Oakland.

Em Bohlka was described as "the best person in the world," by Jahabani.

"I really want to express my support to Em and to all the transgender community. I know that's what Em wanted," Bohlka's father shared with the San Francisco Gate.

On Friday, Bohlka planned to meet friends and listen to electronic music at the Ghost Ship warehouse venue, according to the Pasadena Star News. The deadly fire broke out later that night.

Bohlka leaves behind her former partner and roommate Jahanbani, who still lives in Oakland.

Additional Coverage:

• Oakland Warehouse Fire Latest: Final Death Toll is 36; Search Complete
• Oakland Warehouse Fire Latest: 27 Identities Released
• ‘Ghost Ship’ Manager Derick Ion Almena Defends Actions
• Oakland Fire Donations: 2 Official Victim Funds Established
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: 33 Killed, IDs to Be Released, Recovery Efforts Continue (UPDATES)
• Support Pours in for Oakland Fire Victims: How You Can Help
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Nightclubs Have Long Posed Safety Questions
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: 10 Bodies Recovered, Dozens More Deaths Suspected (UPDATES)
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Three UC Berkeley Students Among the Missing Says Student Paper

Victims:

• Oakland Fire Victims Identified: Coroner's Bureau Releases Names of 7
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Santa Monica Man Among Those Killed
• Oakland Fire Victim From Walnut Creek
• Oakland Fire Victim From Hayward, Coroner Reports
• Coronado Man Identified As Victim In Oakland Fire
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Lakewood Woman Among the Missing
• Morristown Man Missing From Deadly CA Warehouse Fire: Report
• N.J. Man Among 24 Missing In Deadly CA Warehouse Fire, Reports Say
• Youngest Victim of Oakland Warehouse Fire Was 17-Year-Old San Francisco Student
• 2 Berkeley Residents Identified as Oakland Fire Victims
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Missing Lakewood Woman Confirmed Dead

Photo released by Natalie Jahabani