UPDATE 05/12/16: The death toll has now risen to 30, with police expecting more casualties still to come.
A fire at a warehouse party in Oakland, California has claimed the lives of at least nine people.
100% Silk, an LA label that throws regular parties was holding an event at a converted warehouse in Oakland when a fire broke out.
As the East Bay Times reports, the fire ripped through the warehouse at 11.30pm on Friday night while there were “30 to 70” people inside. It took fire fighters up to four hours to get the blaze under control.
Nine bodies have been found at the site but local sheriff Sgt. Ray Kell said that officials were prepared for up to 40 casualties, as The LA Times reports.
Two dozen people have been found but there are still two dozen believed to still be missing. Kelly said that the buildings roof had caved in making the search more difficult. The recovery of bodies could take up to 48 hours.
The building was zoned as a warehouse and had reportedly received a number of complaints. It’s possible that it was illegally modified making it difficult for those at the party to escape when the fire started.
“What happened in Oakland is an unbelievable tragedy, a nightmare scenario,” 100% Silk wrote on their Facebook.
“We are a very tight community of artists and we are all praying, sending love and condolences to everyone involved and their families.”
31st- pic.twitter.com/8TX6jk0iYq
— Oakland Firefighters (@OaklandFireLive) December 3, 2016
