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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. — Dozens of people were still unaccounted for on Saturday after a fire gutted a makeshift nightclub in Oakland, leaving at least nine people dead. | |
| In what emergency responders described as one of the worst mass-casualty events in the city’s history, some partygoers at the two-story converted warehouse were asphyxiated on Friday night by thick black fumes, which poured from building’s windows for several hours. Survivors stood across the street in a Wendy’s parking lot, hopelessly watching firefighters attempt to put out the blaze and rescue victims. | |
| Oakland officials said they were investigating possible code violations in the building and said escape from the building may have been complicated because the first and second floors were linked by an ad-hoc staircase made from wooden pallets. | |
| By Saturday afternoon, the spreadsheet of missing victims that friends and family members were compiling had grown to about 50 people. | |
| “We did not have a lot of victims go to the hospital,” said Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. “It appears that people either made it out or they didn’t make it out.” | |
| The fire was still smoldering more than 12 hours after firefighters arrived just before midnight Friday, and officials said they were approaching the recovery efforts with extreme caution given the fragile state of the building. | |
| One of the survivors of the blaze, Aja Archuleta, 29, a musician, was scheduled to perform at the electronic music party with her synthesizers and drum machines around 1 a.m. and was working the door when the fire broke out around 11 or 11:15 p.m. | |
| “There were two people on the first level who had spotted a small fire that was growing quickly,” she said. “It was a very quick and chaotic build, from a little bit of chaos to a lot of chaos.” | |
| She added, “I have lost 20 friends in the past 24 hours.” | |
| Family members of the roughly 25 people who officials say were unaccounted for expressed anguish over the hours of waiting to know if their relatives were inside. | |
| Daniel Vega, 36, said he felt “infuriated” waiting to hear news of his 22-year-old brother, Alex Vega, who had not been answering his phone Saturday morning. Mr. Vega said he had heard from a friend that his brother was at the party. | |
| “Give me some gloves. I’ve got work shoes. I’m ready,” Mr. Vega said. “Let me find my brother, that’s all I want.” | |
| Sergeant Kelly spoke about the challenges that investigators faced as they worked to determine the cause of the fire and the number of victims. | |
| The building, the roof of which had collapsed, was a dangerous scene of debris, beams and other wreckage that was still hot in places. | |
| “This is not an easy task by any means,” Sergeant Kelly said. | |
| An arson task force made of investigators from local, state and federal agencies would investigate, he said. | |
| Still, he said there was no reason to suspect arson at the moment. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| “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. | “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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | |
| “In my career of 30 years, I haven’t experienced something of this magnitude,” she said. | “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. |
| Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland called the fire “an immense tragedy.” | 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. | “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. | 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.” | “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. | 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. |