SAN FRANCISCO—Among the approximate 36 victims of the Ghost Ship fire at an Oakland warehouse on Friday, December 2, Draven McGill, 17, a high school student from San Francisco has been revealed to be the youngest victim.
Draven was a junior at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts where he was a baritone for the school’s choir and a member of the Pacific Boychoir Academy.
Draven was the son of Phil McGill, who works for the Dublin Police Department and is a deputy for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Members of the department, as noted by Sergeant Ray Kelly, are grieving the loss of the teen. Kelly, who described the office as a “family-like” environment indicated that he and his colleagues were in astonishment.
Friends and fellow students described Draven as down to earth, gentle, ambitious, kind, and a talented singer. Kai Thomas, a close friend, shared that Draven was “impatient and lived in the moment” and “always up for adventure.”
According to reports, Draven was identified as one of the victims by his school’s principal, Barnaby Payne, who extended support to the McGill family through a letter to parents.
“This is an incredibly unsettling and sad event — not only for the Asawa SOTA community, but especially for Draven’s family. I am in contact with them, and will keep you informed of how we can provide support to them. We must rise to this occasion and rally around each other with love, compassion and support.”
