31st- pic.twitter.com/8TX6jk0iYq
— Oakland Firefighters (@OaklandFireLive) December 3, 2016
UPDATED: 5:37 p.m.
The warehouse gutted by a blaze that killed at least nine people was home to musicians, painters, woodworkers, dancers and other artists who came together to make art and hold dance performances and parties. It was also a source of many complaints from neighbours.
The building known as the "Ghost Ship" located in Oakland's Fruitvale neighbourhood was not zoned for people to live in, but neighbours had filed complaints saying the warehouse packed with pianos, paintings, turntables, statues, beds, couches and even a "coffin," apparently was being used as a party venue and living quarters.
Photos of the interior showed a hodgepodge Bohemian scene of Tibetan prayer flags, Christmas lights and scores of wooden statues of Buddha, the virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, elephants and dragons that sat atop pianos and turntables. Tapestries hung from the walls, mannequin legs and arms stuck out from the ceiling, while rolled-up rugs sat in corners. A small, clear wooden spot of floor was at times used for art performances.
"It was just a labyrinth of little areas," said Deputy Fire Chief Mark Hoffmann.
A second-story mezzanine had been built without permits and could only be accessed through a makeshift stairwell of wooden pallets, Hoffman said.
Photographer Bob Mule told reporters the warehouse was a 24-hour art collective where 18 artists, including him, often worked.
Oakland city officials began investigating blight and illegal construction reports as recently as three weeks ago. Darin Ranelletti, of the City of Oakland Planning Department, said the property was only permitted to be used as a warehouse and that investigators had visited it as recently as Nov. 17 to check on complaints of unpermitted construction but they were not able to enter the building.
"Permits would be needed for people to live in the buildings and those permits have not been issued," he said.
He said no permits were issued for a party Friday night.
Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents the Fruitvale district and lives a block from the burned-out warehouse, said the building had been a problem for several years and many residents had complained.
UPDATED: 12:07 p.m.
At least nine people died and authorities said they feared the toll could rise as high as 40 in a fire that broke out during a rave at a converted warehouse in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Oakland fire chief Teresa Deloche-Reed said at least another 25 people were unaccounted for as of Saturday morning and authorities were working to verify who was in the cluttered warehouse when the fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. Friday.
Alameda County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said authorities were prepared to deal with 30 to 40 deaths.
Between 50 and 100 people were believed to have been at the party when the fire started, Deloche-Reed said. It was not immediately clear what started the fire, but there did not appear to be sprinklers in the building, she said.
The interior of the warehouse "made it difficult for people to escape," Deloche-Reed said.
The warehouse was partitioned into artist studios and was packed with furniture, mannequins, statues, lamps, and other objects and did not have a clear entry or exit path, the fire chief said. The only way out of the second floor was a makeshift stairwell made of pallets.
"There is still a large portion of the building that still needs to be searched," she said. "There is large timber and debris that will need to be removed and it's going to have to be removed in a slow and methodical way."
UPDATED: 9:25 p.m.
Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloche-Reed said at least another 25 people are unaccounted for in the warehouse blaze as of Saturday morning. Authorities are working to verify who was in the building when the fire broke out.
Deloche-Reed said the roof collapsed and that fire investigators will have to search through debris to find any remaining bodies.
The fire chief said what started the fire is unclear, but that there did not appear to be sprinklers in the building.
ORIGINAL: 9:15 a.m.
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.