Oakland Warehouse Fire: Nightclubs Have Long Posed Safety Questions

As investigators sift through the remains of an Oakland warehouse where as many as 40 people have been killed when a fire engulfed a party, the question of what could have been done to prevent it, will be in the back of the minds of many.

Large nightclubs - and impromptu ones such as the warehouse - have always prevented safety challenges for fire officials.

While the death toll - which may reach 40, according to officials - is horrific, there have been many worse over the years in the Untied States and around the world.

And with each tragedy, fire officials work to learn from the incident and see what can be done to prevent the next one.

A LOOK AT THE FIVE DEADLIEST NIGHTCLUB FIRES IN THE UNITED STATES:

April 1940 - More than 200 people died when the ceiling of the Rhythm Nightclub in Natchez, Mississippi caught fire.

November 1942 - Still the deadliest nightclub fire in United States history, the blaze that destroyed the Cocoanut Grove Club in Boston killed 492 people.

May 1977 - A fire ravaged the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky, killing 165 people and injuring more than 200.

Match 1990 - One of the worst mass murders in history. A man who was angry with his girlfriend trapped people inside the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx. He poured gasoline and set it on fire. Eighty-seven people died.,

February 2003 - 100 people were killed and more than 200 injured at the Station nightclub in Warwick, Rhode Island. The band, Great White, had set off fireworks as part of the act. The fires ignited foam in the club.

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