Death toll in Oakland warehouse fire rises to 36, likely to climb
The death toll from a deadly warehouse fire in the US city of Oakland, California, has risen to 36 and the search for more victims has been placed on hold because the structure is at risk of collapsing.
Eleven of the 36 bodies recovered so far at the fire site have been positively identified, Alameda County Deputy Sheriff Tya Modeste said on Monday.
The massive blaze broke out on Friday night and continued into Saturday morning in a building that hosted the electronic dance music party attended by between 50 and 100 people, mostly youngsters.
Officials said fatalities could rise as the fates of several people who were inside the building were still unknown.
"We're no closer to finding a cause and we absolutely believe that the number of fire fatalities will increase," Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said.
After working for 52 hours straight, rescuers had to halt their search late on Sunday, Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton said on Monday.
Drayton said firefighters halted work after they determined the building was dangerously unstable for them.
"Working under a wobbly, potentially collapsing exterior wall is extremely dangerous," she said. "We will not put our firefighters in danger at this point and we will not put Alameda County sheriff (deputies) in that precarious situation with us."
Investigators found the location where the fire began, but the cause of the blaze has not been determined, she said.
She added the area has been "quarantined off for additional investigation" once firefighters are able to enter the two-story building again, after an excavator is brought in to stabilize what's left of the warehouse.
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