Thirty-six people are dead and others are unaccounted for after a fire broke out at a warehouse party in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, CA. Firefighters received a call about the fire at a warehouse used as artist studio space nicknamed the Ghost Ship at 11:30 p.m. on Friday.
Recovery and Identification
At least 50 people were said to be at the party. Family members and friends are using Facebook and Twitter to try and locate their missing loved ones. Oakland city, fire and police officials gave a press conference Saturday to answer questions about the fire and recovery efforts. They encouraged people looking for missing loved ones to contact the Alameda County Sheriff’s Coroner’s office.
Officials said the building was permitted as a warehouse and that artists used portions of the main floor as studio space. A fire official described the main floor as a labyrinth of makeshift studios. The warehouse had no fire sprinklers and the only flight of stairs to the second floor, made of wood, was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, making it very difficult for people on the second floor to escape the building.
The recovery effort has been challenging for firefighters who said the roof of the structure collapsed onto the second floor and the integrity of the walls had also been compromised. They spent part of the day shoring up the structure so they could re-enter the building and begin the recovery effort in earnest.
There is a question as to whether there were fire code violations. Fire officials have said it does not appear that there were working sprinklers in the building.
Sources:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/03/casualties-reported-in-three-alarm-oakland-building-fire.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38195612
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/12/03/least-9-dead-oakland-warehouse-party-fire/94881696/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/12/04/officials-say-24-people-confirmed-dead-in-oakland-warehouse-party-fire/?utm_term=.c4e4330f1ed6