Nine were found dead in a fire at a two-story warehouse party in Oakland, California late Friday night, according to a report from the Associated Press. According to NPR, there are still "at least another 25 people unaccounted for."
Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office says that authorities fear as many as 40 people may have been killed in what they're now calling a "mass casualty event," according to information from Buzzfeed.
The Oakland sheriff's office says that event-goers were either trapped in the warehouse or were able to escape unscathed, according to new information from the Associated Press. The two-story warehouse, which had also been sectioned off into multiple artist studios and filled with furniture and mannequins, was hard to navigate, and those that were on the second floor could've only exited the building by a makeshift stairwell.
The fire was believed to have started around 11:30 p.m. PST during a show for musician Golden Donna's 100% West Coast Tour. According to the event's Facebook page, the party started at 9 p.m. and was supposed to last until 4 a.m. Authorities told KTVU-TV that there were around 50 to 100 people in the building at the time.
As of 7:35 a.m. PST, fire officials report that at multiple people are still missing, and the fire department has yet to do a thorough search of the building. Names of people who are still missing are being posted on the event's Facebook Page.
This is a developing story and we will update this post as new information comes in.
Update: This post was updated at 2:12 p.m. EST to reflect new reporting.
Update: This post was updated at 3:45 p.m. EST to reflect new reporting.
Thumbnail image: Screenshot from Oakland Firefighters Twitter account