9 Confirmed Dead In Bay Area Fire After Music Event

EAST BAY, CA – UPDATE: SATURDAY, DEC. 3, 4:30 p.m.

One body has been recovered this afternoon from inside a two-story Oakland warehouse that was being used as an artist collective, which caught fire late Friday night during a party.

The party at 1305 31st Ave. reportedly was happening upstairs when the fire broke out at around 11:30 p.m., Oakland Deputy Fire Chief Mark Hoffman said.

At least nine people have been confirmed dead, 25 people are unaccounted for and there are at least 12 known survivors, according to Hoffman.

Fire officials have been attempting to enter the building since this morning, but the search ended when the building's walls were deemed unstable. Additionally, part of the building's roof had collapsed during the
fire, which has complicated the search efforts.

Fire officials are planning to be at the scene for the next 48 hours, Hoffman said.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf also responded to the scene and spoke with the families of the some of the victims.

"It's painful to tell them that it will be a considerable amount of time before we can give them the closure they deserve," she said during a news conference at the scene. "We have been extremely limited to gain access
inside the structure."

The setup inside the building initially made it hard for people to escape. Partitions and other structures inside the warehouse made exiting more difficult, according to Oakland fire Chief Deloach Reed.

She said there appears to have been only one stairwell leading from the first to the second floor. That makeshift staircase appears to have been made from pallets, she said.

"If the fire started in that area, then everyone on the second floor would have not been able to escape," Deloach Reed said. "I don't know where the fire started, but I know the way the building was situated, it
really made it difficult for people to escape."

Deloach Reed said she doesn't believe paramedics transported any injured people to the hospital.

The building is a live/work space for artists known as the Ghostship and had an event called "Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour" happening at the time, according to a Facebook event page.

According to the city's Director of Planning and Building Darin Ranelletti, the building was legally permitted to be used as a warehouse and a large event at the premises such as Friday's part would have required a
special permit, which was not issued.

The space had been the target of several recent complaints regarding unpermitted structures and blight, Ranelletti said.

The city's planning and building department had opened an investigation last month and found evidence of blight, but could not confirm the unpermitted construction, according to Ranelletti.

People who managed to escape the blaze gave firefighters a list of people for whom were unaccounted.

Police are asking anyone looking for missing persons associate with this fire to contact the Alameda County Sheriff's coroner's bureau at (510) 382-3000. Additionally, a Family Assistance Center has been set up at
2425 E. 12th St.

A fund set up for people to donate to the victims can be found at https://www.youcaring.com/firevictimsofoaklandfiredec232016-706684.

The fund had raised about $48,000 out of its goal of $100,000 as of 4:30 p.m.

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UPDATE: SATURDAY, DEC. 3, 12:15 p.m.

Firefighters are continuing to sift through the wreckage of a warehouse that caught fire Friday night during a large gathering, killing at least nine people.

Oakland Fire Department Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said there are still 25 people unaccounted.
The fire was first reported at the two-story building around 11:32 p.m. at 1305 31st Ave.

Although the fire has been put out, firefighters are searching the building for additional victims.

"There is still a large portion of the building that needs to be searched," Deloach Reed said.

The setup inside the building made it hard for people to escape.

Partitions and other structures inside the warehouse made exiting more difficult, according to Deloach Reed.
She said there appears to have been only one stairwell leading from the first to the second floor. That makeshift staircase appears to have been made from pallets, she said.

"If the fire started in that area, then everyone on the second floor would have not been able to escape," Deloach Reed said. "I don't know where the fire started, but I know the way the building was situated, it
really made it difficult for people to escape."

People who managed to escape the blaze gave firefighters a list of people who were unaccounted for. Deloach Reed said she doesn't believe paramedics transported any injured people to the hospital.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The building is a live/work space, according to the Oakland Police Department.

A party with musical acts was happening at the warehouse when the fire broke out. According to the event's Facebook page, the event was called the "Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour." The page had dozens of people commenting this morning, asking about loved ones missing.

Police are asking anyone looking for missing persons associate with this fire to contact the Alameda County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau at (510) 382-3000.
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UPDATE, SATURDAY, DEC. 3, 9:39 a.m.

Nine people have been confirmed dead and 25 have been unaccounted for after a three-alarm fire broke out inside a warehouse in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood late Friday night, an Oakland fire chief said.
The fire was first reported at around 11:32 p.m. at 1305 31st Ave.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from the two-story building and later reported fire coming through the roof. By about 4:15 a.m., firefighters were attempting to extinguish hot spots, according to
fire officials.

As of 8:40 a.m., fire officials remained on the scene searching through debris for additional victims, according to fire Chief Theresa Deloach Reed said.

The building is a live work/residence, according to the Oakland Police Department.

A party with musical acts took place at that location Friday night.

According to the event's Facebook page, about 200 people said they would be attending the event, called the "Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour." The page had dozens of people commenting this morning, asking about loved ones for whom are still unaccounted.

Police are asking anyone looking for missing persons associate with this fire to contact the Alameda County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau.

The Alameda County coroner is responding to the scene, according to fire officials.
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SATURDAY, DEC. 3, 8:36 a.m.

Firefighters remain at the scene this morning of a three-alarm structure fire at a warehouse in Oakland in which at least nine people were reportedly killed.

Several people are still missing, according to the Oakland Fire Department.

Firefighters responded Friday at 11:32 p.m. to a commercial building at 1305 31st Ave. on a report of a structure fire.

The building is a live work/residence, according to the Oakland Police Department.

The Oakland Fire Department responded to the structure fire around 11:30 p.m. Friday in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue. An event called "Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour" was apparently taking place at the location of the fire.

On the event's Facebook page, people offered condolences and prayers for those killed and posted the names of those who are safe in the fire and of those who are still missing.

Firefighters remain at the scene this morning to extinguish hot spots.

Police are asking anyone looking for missing persons associated with this fire to contact the Alameda County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau.

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--Bay City News and Feroze Dhanoa (Patch National Staff) contributed to this report/Images Screenshot of video via Oakland Fire and Alameda County Sheriff's Office, videos via Oakland Fire