Nine have been declared dead and 25 others are reported to be missing after a three-alarm blaze ripped through a warehouse hosting a concert in Oakland on Friday night, December 2. As firefighters and emergency personnel continue to work through the damage, they are being told to anticipate that dozens of unidentified bodies may remain buried in the rubble.
"Prepare to deal with up to 30 to 40 deceased people," Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office told reporters during a press conference on Saturday morning. A list of 27 names has been drawn up to account for those who investigators have been able to verify the identity of. But Kelly is certain that judging by the magnitude of the catastrophic fire, there are more fatalities abound. "There's still a large portion of the building that we're going to have to search," he told reporters. According to Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach-Reed there were at least 50 people occupying the building.
The fire was reported to have broken out at an event featuring musician Golden Donna's 100% Silk. Up to 72 firefighters rushed to the 31st Avenue and International Boulevard location after a call was placed to report the blaze at around 11:30 p.m. The flames were so intense that they could not enter the premises, and were thus forced to fight it from outside. Sgt. Kelly told reporters that at some point the roof had collapsed, making the job for the fire crews all the more difficult.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Source: washingtonpost.com
