At least nine people were killed and many others are unaccounted for after a three-alarm fire broke out during a concert in Oakland on Friday, authorities announced on Saturday morning.
Thirty to 70 concertgoers were inside the building when the blaze began around 11:30pm local time.
"A majority of the fatalities were found up on the second floor," the city’s Fire Chief Teresa Deloach-Reed told reporters. "It must have been a very fast-moving fire."
“We still have to do a more thorough search of the building and we don’t know the potential number of other victims,” Deloach-Reed explained, adding that no firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze. She also said that firefighters found no evidence that fire alarms were activated while the fire spread.
The show was hosted by 100% Silk, Los Angeles-based electronic label, including Golden Donna, Cherushii, Nackt, and more acts were on the bill.
“It was too hot, too much smoke, I had to get out of there,” Bob Mule, a resident who lives in the building, told the East Bay Times, adding that he suffered minor burns and witnessed someone jumping from the building’s second-floor window. “I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated by smoke. I couldn’t get the fire extinguisher to work.”
Friends and family members of those missing are currently searching for information on the event’s Facebook page. Organizers have also compiled a list of the names of concertgoers unaccounted for.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
