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| Oakland warehouse party fire leaves at least nine dead, fire chief says | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| At least nine people were dead and 25 unaccounted for after a large fire broke out during a party in a warehouse in Oakland, the city’s fire chief told reporters on Saturday. | At least nine people were dead and 25 unaccounted for after a large fire broke out during a party in a warehouse in Oakland, the city’s fire chief told reporters on Saturday. |
| “There is a large majority of that building that has not been searched,” Teresa Deloach-Reed told reporters at an early morning press conference. | “There is a large majority of that building that has not been searched,” Teresa Deloach-Reed told reporters at an early morning press conference. |
| Deloach-Reed said the building was “huge” and that its roof had collapsed, frustrating initial efforts to look for injured people and recover remains. | Deloach-Reed said the building was “huge” and that its roof had collapsed, frustrating initial efforts to look for injured people and recover remains. |
| “We are hoping that the number nine is what there is and that there are no more,” she said, referring to those confirmed killed. “But we have not done a complete search of the building.” | “We are hoping that the number nine is what there is and that there are no more,” she said, referring to those confirmed killed. “But we have not done a complete search of the building.” |
| The chief said police did not know how the fire started. An official with the fire investigation unit told the Guardian he could not confirm the number of killed or missing. | The chief said police did not know how the fire started. An official with the fire investigation unit told the Guardian he could not confirm the number of killed or missing. |
| “The investigation is very fresh at this time,” he said. | “The investigation is very fresh at this time,” he said. |
| The warehouse, in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, housed studios and workplaces. A Facebook page for the party, billed as the Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour, showed 192 people planned to attend a performance by Golden Donna, a electronic music act. | The warehouse, in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, housed studios and workplaces. A Facebook page for the party, billed as the Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour, showed 192 people planned to attend a performance by Golden Donna, a electronic music act. |
| On the page, a fire inspector and friends and family of attendees tried to contact each other to account for the missing people. | On the page, a fire inspector and friends and family of attendees tried to contact each other to account for the missing people. |
| The fire began at about 11.30pm on Friday night, police officials said. Oakland firefighters tweeted video of flames bursting through the roof as they struggled to contain them. They said about 50 people were inside, according to local KTVU-TV news. Deloach-Reed said the building had no sprinkler system, the East Bay Times reported. | The fire began at about 11.30pm on Friday night, police officials said. Oakland firefighters tweeted video of flames bursting through the roof as they struggled to contain them. They said about 50 people were inside, according to local KTVU-TV news. Deloach-Reed said the building had no sprinkler system, the East Bay Times reported. |
| “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. | “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.” The site reported that | “I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated by smoke. I couldn’t get the fire extinguisher to work.” The site reported that |
| More than 50 firefighters worked for hours to stop the fire. Battalion chief Lisa Baker told the Mercury News that teams had tried to extinguish flames inside the building until structural collapses forced them back outside. | More than 50 firefighters worked for hours to stop the fire. Battalion chief Lisa Baker told the Mercury News that teams had tried to extinguish flames inside the building until structural collapses forced them back outside. |
| The fire was not under control until after 4.30am local time,. | The fire was not under control until after 4.30am local time,. |