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At Least 9 Are Dead After Fire at Warehouse Party in Oakland At Least 9 Are Dead After Fire at Warehouse Party in Oakland
(about 1 hour later)
OAKLAND, Calif. — At least nine people were dead and emergency responders were searching for at least a dozen more in the ashes of a fire that broke out at a converted warehouse hosting an electronic music party on Friday night, the authorities here said. OAKLAND, Calif. — At least nine people were dead and emergency responders were searching for at least a dozen more in the ashes of a fire that broke out on Friday night in a cluttered converted warehouse hosting an electronic music party, the authorities here said.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said the office was “prepared for several dozen victims.” The blaze, which left many of its victims trapped on the second floor of the building, began around 11:30 p.m., officials said.
The emergency call for the fire in the Fruitvale neighborhood came in around 11:30 p.m., officials said. Responders arrived to find the small warehouse filled with heavy smoke and flames. The bodies were found on the second floor of the building, Chief Teresa Deloach Reed of the Oakland Fire Department said on Saturday. The building, an artists’ studio known as the Ghost Ship in the Fruitvale neighborhood, was the site of a show put on by a group of musicians, producers and DJs on a West Coast tour. More than 200 people had said on the show’s event page on Facebook that they would attend. By Saturday, the page had turned into an emergency message board, as dozens of friends and family members posted about missing loved ones. Among the missing were some of the musicians who had been scheduled to perform.
“In my career of 30 years, I haven’t experienced something of this magnitude,” Chief Deloach Reed said. Officials said that they expected the death toll to rise. Speaking to reporters at the scene of the fire, Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said the office was “prepared for several dozen victims.”
The building had been converted into an artist’s studio and was cluttered with furniture, statues and mannequins, she said. A makeshift staircase connected the first and second floors. “A lot of these people are young people,” Sergeant Kelly said. “They are from all parts of our community.” Some of the dead may be foreign nationals, he said.
The warehouse was hosting a party that was scheduled to last until 4 a.m., and featured multiple electronic musicians, producers and performers, as well as visual projections, according to a Facebook page for the event. “SECRET EAST OAKLAND LOCATION ANNOUNCED DAY OF SHOW,” the page said. More than 200 people had said they planned to attend the event. The fire was extinguished on Saturday morning, but hot spots remained an obstacle for investigators hoping to determine the extent of the fire and its victims, Sergeant Kelly said.
On Saturday, the page had been turned into a hub for friends and family members to post the names of the missing, which included many of the artists and performers. “Hi, I am here with the fire inspector going through the list of missing names of missing/safe,” wrote one woman. “I am requesting that you only post in this thread their name and missing or safe next to it.” Images from the building’s website depict a wooden studio filled with antiques, sculptures and curios. Old lamps, musical instruments, suitcases and rugs decorated the ornate space.
A spreadsheet distributed on the site listed identifying information — age, height, weight, hair color, tattoos — and contact numbers for many of those who were unaccounted for. Responders said that they arrived to find the building filled with heavy smoke and flames. Bodies were found on the second floor of the building, Chief Teresa Deloach Reed of the Oakland Fire Department said on Saturday. A makeshift staircase connected the first and second floors.
Investigators continued to search the building on Saturday morning, its graffiti-marked facade blackened by smoke. “In my career of 30 years, I haven’t experienced something of this magnitude,” she said.
Chief Deloach Reed said there were “no reports of smoke alarms going off.” At least two fire extinguishers were located inside, she said.Chief Deloach Reed said there were “no reports of smoke alarms going off.” At least two fire extinguishers were located inside, she said.
Oakland is home to a community of artists who have flocked to more affordable areas like Fruitvale and to other cities in the East Bay Area, as rents in San Francisco have skyrocketed. Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland called the fire “an immense tragedy.”
“Our focus right now is on the victims and their families and ensuring that we have a full accounting for everyone who was impacted by this tragedy,” she said in a statement.
On the event’s Facebook page, people distributed a spreadsheet that listed identifying information — age, height, weight, hair color, tattoos — and contact numbers for many of those who were unaccounted for.
“Hi, I am here with the fire inspector going through the list of missing names of missing/safe,” wrote one woman. “I am requesting that you only post in this thread their name and missing or safe next to it.”
As San Francisco has become increasingly unaffordable, artists have regrouped across the Bay Area to places like Oakland and Emeryville, often converting old warehouses into art spaces. The building where the fire occurred is a two-story structure next to a car stereo installation shop and across from a Wendy’s. Chief Deloach Reed said it was unclear whether the facility was used only as an artists’ space or whether some people lived there as well.