Blaze broke out during an event featuring musician Golden Donna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour
A blaze broke out during a party in a warehouse late Friday night in Oakland, Calif., leading to a number of casualties. Photo: European Pressphoto Agency
OAKLAND, Calif.—A warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif., killed at least nine people, with the death toll expected to climb significantly.
“We are prepared to deal with several dozen fatalities as a result of this fire,” Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County, Calif., Sheriff’s Office, said during a news conference Saturday. The blaze broke out late Friday night at a warehouse party and electronic-music performance in the city’s Fruitvale district.
About 25 people were missing as of Saturday morning, according to Sgt. Kelly. “We are prepared to deal with up to 30 to 40 deceased people,” he said.
On Saturday, the Alameda County sheriff’s department had set up several tents as workers began recovering bodies from the warehouse.
“Last night’s fire was an immense tragedy. I am grateful to our first responders for their efforts to deal with this deadly fire,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “Our focus right now is on the victims and their families and ensuring that we have a full accounting for everyone who was impacted by this tragedy.”
The warehouse was a communal living site, with at least nine people living there full-time, and very little privacy, said Peter Veilleux. He described it as an artist community, with visual artists, musicians and others in residence.
Mr. Veilleux, 53 years old, said he knew the couple who had organized the living situation at the warehouse. He said the couple lives there with three children under the age of 10.
Parties took place at the warehouse approximately every weekend, Mr. Veilleux said. The electronic-music performance at the warehouse on Friday featured the musician Golden Donna, whose real name is Joel Shanahan. According to a post Saturday on Mr. Shanahan’s Facebook page, he survived and is safe.
A Los Angeles based electronic dance music label known as 100% Silk organized the music tour that included Friday’s performance.
“What happened in Oakland is an unbelievable tragedy, a nightmare scenario” the label said in a Facebook post Saturday afternoon. “We are a very tight community of artists and we are all praying, sending love and condolences to everyone involved and their families.”