Officials have opened a criminal inquiry into a fire that killed at least 33 people at a warehouse party in Oakland, California.
The
premises had already been under investigation prior to the fire over possible
building code violations.
The
warehouse had no sprinklers and one ex-resident called it a "death
trap".
Fire
crews are still working at the scene and have warned that the number of
fatalities is likely to rise.
It
is thought between 50-100 people were inside the venue when the fire broke out
late on Friday.
The
blaze caused the roof to collapse on to the second floor, part of which then
fell through to the ground floor. Its cause is not known.
"When
we started this investigation, if you had told us that you would have 33
victims, we wouldn't have believed you," Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray
Kelly. "I don't know how many people are left in there."
"People
want answers. People want to know that the investigation into this fire is very
thorough," Mr Kelly added.
The
opening of a criminal investigation allows authorities to preserve evidence and
see if there was any criminal responsibility, whether through arson or
negligence.
On Monday, the city
of Oakland began releasing the names of those killed, but withheld the name of
the youngest, a 17-year-old.
The Ghost Ship
fire's victims
Cash
Askew, 22
David
Clines, 35
Nick
Gomez-Hall, 25
Sara
Hoda, 30
Travis
Hough, 35
Donna
Kellogg, 32
Brandon
Chase Wittenauer, 32
One survivor said
people initially thought that the smoke was part of the show.
"I noticed the
smoke and thought, 'Is that a fog machine?' Then people were running
frantic," Chris
Nechodom told SF Gate.
"I
looked to the back and it was just from wall to wall, the ceiling was on fire.
Officials
described the interior as like a maze, with the warehouse packed with
furniture, mannequins and other objects, the only exit from the second floor a
makeshift stairwell.
The
building, known as the Ghost Ship, was used to house artists in improvised
studios but several reports say people were illegally living there too.
Neighbors had complained to the city about rubbish piling up on the
street outside, and about the illegal tenants.
That place was just
a death trap,'' former resident Shelley Mack told the Associated Press. "I
didn't think it was going to last this long before it went up or somebody shut
it down.''
Families
of loved ones are now being asked to gather things like toothbrushes and combs
to aid with DNA identification.
Media
in Oakland named Derick Ion Almena as the co-operator of the collective with
his partner, Micah Allison.
A
Facebook post by him lamenting the loss of his belongings but saying he was
"blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound"
drew a barrage of criticism online.
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