9 Killed, and at Least 13 Missing, in Oakland Fire
At least nine people died in a blaze that broke out during a party in a warehouse late Friday night in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to fire officials.
Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloche-Reed says at least another 13 people are unaccounted for as of Saturday morning.
The fire started about 11:30 p.m. Friday. It tore through the building during an event featuring musician Golden Donna's 100% Silk West Coast tour, the East Bay Times reports.
Oakland firefighters tweeted video of flames pushing through the roof.
Fire officials said the building had no sprinklers.
Authorities told KTVU-TV about 50 people were inside the building, which houses a group of artists and their studios.
"It was too hot, too much smoke, I had to get out of there," Bob Mule, a photographer and artist who lives at the building and suffered minor burns, told the East Bay Times. "I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated by smoke. I couldn't get the fire extinguisher to work."
People used a Facebook page Saturday to post and seek information on family and friends who may have been in the building.
Oakland police urged those concerned about missing people to call the Alameda County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau at 510-382-3000.
The office said the coroners were also at the scene Saturday morning and unavailable for comment.
Update 12/3/16, 12:25 p.m. EST: Authorities say arson investigators and other fire experts will comb through the wreckage of a deadly fire in Oakland, California, but the burn site is not considered a crime scene.
Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly says Saturday that fire investigations must start out looking at worst-case scenarios.
The blaze broke out about 11:30 p.m. Friday, and officials have confirmed nine deaths. They fear up to 40 more could have died. Authorities are working to verify who was in the building when the blaze broke out.
Terry Ewing says his girlfriend was at the party and is missing. He went to a sheriff's office building Saturday to await information. He says he didn't know about the party and that he learned of the fire from friends who came to his house.
Update 12/4/16, 1 p.m. EST: Officials have confirmed 24 dead, with more still missing.
“We anticipate the number of victims will rise,” said Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly.
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