Survivor tells of ’skin peeling’ as nine die after huge blaze at warehouse party in California
At least nine people have been killed - and dozens still missing - in a blaze that broke out during a party in a converted warehouse.
Fire chief Teresa Deloche-Reed in Oakland, California, said at least another 25 people are unaccounted for today.
Authorities are working to verify who was in the building when the fire started at around 11.30pm on Friday.
Deloche-Reed said the roof collapsed and that fire investigators will have to search through debris to find any remaining bodies.
31st- pic.twitter.com/8TX6jk0iYq
— Oakland Firefighters (@OaklandFireLive) December 3, 2016
The fire tore through the building during an event featuring musician Golden Donna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour, the East Bay Times reported.
Oakland firefighters tweeted video of flames pushing through the roof.
The fire chief said the cause of the blaze is not yet known, but that there did not appear to be sprinklers in the building.
31st Ave- #oakland @KTVU @kron4news @CBSSF @abc7newsbayarea @allaboutgeorge pic.twitter.com/OecGgnuF6s
— Oakland Firefighters (@OaklandFireLive) December 3, 2016
Authorities told KTVU-TV about 50 people were inside the warehouse, which houses a group of artists and their studios.
"It was too hot, too much smoke, I had to get out of there," said Bob Mule, a photographer and artist who lives at the building and suffered minor burns.
"I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated by smoke. I couldn’t get the fire extinguisher to work."
People used a Facebook page on Saturday to post and seek information on family and friends who may have been in the building.
