Authorities fear at least 40 dead in Calif. fire

Tribune News Service

OAKLAND, Calif.

Authorities said they were preparing to deal with dozens of fatalities after a fire raced through a converted warehouse crowded with people attending a Friday night concert, officials said.

Nine bodies were recovered by Saturday afternoon, but Alameda County sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly said officials were prepared for up to 40 fatalities.

Firefighters were beginning to move through the burned-out remains looking for victims.

The building’s roof caved in, and debris made the effort difficult, Kelly said. Firefighters planned to use drones with thermal imaging equipment to search the building.

The cause of the fire wasn’t known. While arson is not suspected, Kelly said nothing has been ruled out. Officials said the warehouse isn’t considered a crime scene.

Officials believe it is likely there are more fatalities because there are friends and family who still have not heard from some people who attended the rave.

“This is just a tragedy, and there are no easy answers,” Kelly said. “This not an easy task.”

City records show that the building had at least three code violations this year. In one complaint, city inspectors said there was illegal building on the property as well as piles of trash.

“This property is a storage (facility) but the owner turned it to become trash recycle site. The yard became a trash collection site and the main building was remodel for residential,” according to city records. Earlier complaints cited dangerous levels of trash and debris around the building.

Deloach Reed told the East Bay Times that it appears there were no smoke detectors or fire sprinklers in the building. She said the fire may have started near a makeshift stairwell, which might have made it more difficult for people to escape.

“There was a stairwell, a makeshift stairway, that would have been hard to get by if the fire started nearby,” she told the paper.