Published
Sat, Dec 3, 2016, 15:01
- The total number of casualties remains unconfirmed after a blaze swept through a 31st Avenue venue on Friday night.
A fire at a 100% Silk event in Oakland, California, has left at least 33 people dead.
The event, which was part of Golden Donna's West Coast tour, was taking place at a space called The Ghost Ship on 31st Avenue in the Fruitvale district. So far emergency responders have found 30 bodies, but the exact number of casualties is yet to be confirmed as the building is cleared of debris and searched. Firefighters were unable to search the building for much of yesterday because the two-storey structure was rendered unstable by the fire. The Alameda County Sheriff has said that up to 40 are feared dead.
People have been using the party's Facebook page to account for people who were still missing. A pinned post on the page is being used to provide updates on attendees.
The building was used as a studio and live-work space for artists. According to SFGate, it was cluttered with materials and instruments, and had been cited as recently as mid-November for complaints of trash, debris and unpermitted construction, but inspectors were not able to gain entry.
There's still no word on the cause of the fire.
100% Silk made a statement on Saturday, saying that the label's founders, Amanda and Britt Brown, were "beside [themselves]" and "praying, sending love and condolences to everyone involved and their families."
Photo credit: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters