Fire at California warehouse party leaves 9 dead, 25 missing

by: Christina Hernandez Dec 3, 2016

Last night, a local warehouse party in Oakland fell victim to what some are saying is one of the deadliest structural fires in the city’s history. At 11:30pm on Friday night, the entire building, which was hosting a party with an array of underground house acts, was engulfed in flames.

9 people are confirmed dead from the incident, with another 25 people unaccounted for by the time firefighters had calmed down the blaze. It took a crew of 55 firefighters in total to quell the ensuing destruction.

The fire took place at a two-story building on 31st street, in the middle of Fruitvale. It was formerly an artist collective, housing 50 people in its confines. Residents regularly threw parties to help offset rising rent costs currently plaguing the city. Friday’s affair had been part of an underground house tour by the Wisconsin-based label 100% Silk.

According to reports coming out of the scene, the building might not have been adequately prepared for emergencies. No smoke detectors had been reported as going off, and the aged building had no sprinklers. This lack of preparation seems to have played a role in the swift damage and harm caused, which saw multiple people getting stuck on the second floor of the building or unable to find a way out through the smoke. It took around four hours of fighting both inside and outside the building for the flames to finally be extinguished.

Survivors and organizers of the party have been keeping updates on the event’s Facebook page. A spreadsheet has also been started to keep track of those missing thus far.

We’d like to extend our best wishes and condolences to all those affected by this unimaginable tragedy.