Oakland Warehouse Fire: 33 Killed; IDs Released; Recovery Efforts Continue (UPDATES)

OAKLAND, CA — A fire that ripped through a warehouse in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, where an unlicensed electronic music concert was underway Friday night, has left 33 people dead, and that number is expected to rise as authorities still have more than 60 percent of the building left to search.

All eight of the victims who have been identified thus far were identified through fingerprints. Now, the coroner's bureau is asking families to preserve toothbrushes, hairbrushes and other items that may contain the DNA of victims.

The names of seven of the eight victims have been released. The other victim is a 17-year-old minor whose name will not be released publicly.

>> Oakland Fire Victims Identified: Coroner's Bureau Releases Names of 7

For the first time, authorities announced that minors are among the victims. Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office said that there are 17-year-old victims. He did not say how many. An Alameda County Sheriff's Deputy's son is also among the deceased.

He also would not elaborate on how many people are missing. This morning he called the number "significant."

Kelly also clarified that there are victims from Europe and Asia, and his department is working with the U.S. State Department for notifications.

Recovery crews are removing debris bucket by bucket and literally sifting the debris for evidence and remains.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley sent a criminal investigation team to the site today, Mayor Libby Schaaf announced at a 3 p.m. news conference.

Schaaf says the city has three main focal points:

1. 24/7 recovery
2. Supporting families
3. Preserve evidence for investigation

At an 8 a.m. press conference, Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton told reporters the scene inside the building was somber.

“It was quiet, it was heartbreaking,” she said.

Firefighters working inside the building had between two months and 30 years of experience, but regardless of their time on the job, Drayton said, “Every one of them have been emotionally impacted.”

This fire is now the deadliest in Oakland's history. The 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm killed 25 and injured 150.

The phone number of the coroner's bureau was released on Saturday as the point of contact for friends and relatives searching for loved ones. That number was overwhelmed. A new number has been established: 510-238-2181.

Oakland Police Department Officer Johnna Watson, the department's spokeswoman, told reporters that officers walked through the surrounding neighborhood overnight and wrote down license plate numbers of vehicles. The registrations are being compared to the list of the missing.

When questioned about the cause of the fire, the fire department's Drayton said firefighters "have not gotten close to the origin of the fire."

When reporters pressed for more information, they were told the focus is on victims and families at this point.

Timeline

The fire department responded to the structure fire around 11:30 p.m. Friday in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue. A rave was underway; officially the "Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour" was taking place upstairs.

Firefighters were met by flames on three sides of the building. Crews did not hear any smoke detectors going off when they arrived, and the building had no sprinklers. One man who escaped the building said he grabbed a fire extinguisher but couldn't get it to work.

The fire went to three alarms and was quickly declared a defensive fire, meaning it was too dangerous for firefighters to go inside. They sprayed water on the towering flames from aerial ladders and ground level. The building was still smoking at 4:30 a.m., five hours after flames broke out.

Damning History

An Oakland Planning and Building Department official told reporters on Saturday that the building was only permitted as a warehouse, not as a live/work space for artists as it was apparently being used. Furthermore, it was only permitted as a single story, not two stories. A fire official on Saturday said that the only access to the second story was a "makeshift" staircase made of "wooden pallets." However, Drayton said Sunday that there were two staircases. She did not elaborate on the second one.

City records show that the building had received a housing habitability complaint on Nov. 14. A description of the complaint said the building had an "illegal interior building structure." The status of that complaint is currently pending.

Furthermore, a music event such as the rave requires a city permit, which would have included an inspection by the fire department to determine occupancy, adequate exits, etc. No such permit was obtained.

The building known as the "Ghost Ship" was an artist's collective. Photos posted on a Tumblr account associated with the building show that the structure was filled with objects like furniture, art pieces and musical instruments.

-Image via Alameda County Sheriff's Office

-This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.

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