Searchers have recovered 33 bodies -- some of them teens 17 years old or possibly younger -- from a fire-ravaged warehouse in Oakland, California, that housed artist studios and was hosting a dance party when the deadly blaze broke out, officials said today.

Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office warned that he anticipates that "the number of victims will rise" from a fire officials say may be the deadliest ever in Oakland. The search effort is expected to last for days, he said.

Kelly called the number of deaths "astronomical."

Among the victims was the son of an Alameda County sheriff's deputy, officials said.

Names of six of the eight victims identified by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau were released this evening after their families were notidied. They were: Cash Askew, 22, Oakland; David Cline, 24, Oakland; Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Coronado, California; Sara Hoda, 30, Walnut Creek, California; Travis Hough, 35, Oakland; Donna Kellogg, 32, Oakland; and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, Hayward, California. Another victim was a 17-year-old whose name will not be released, according to a statement from the City of Oakland.

Authorities are asking families with missing loved ones to preserve DNA samples as a way of confirming the identities of those who died in the horrific blaze.

The District Attorney's Office has criminal investigation teams actively looking at the fire with the other law enforcement agencies involved in investigating the fire, according to a statement from the City of Oakland.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf told ABC News that she has ordered an investigation into the building's troubled history, including a complete review of all records of complaints. Libby also told ABC that she ordered an independent analysis into the city’s handling of this building and others like it.

The Oakland Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire at the warehouse known as the "Ghost Ship" on 31st Avenue at around 11:32 p.m. on Friday night. Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said Ghost Ship appeared to function as a residential building that hosted a makeshift artists' studio, as well as parties like the one that took place on Friday night.

It's unclear if the building was equipped with smoke alarms, the fire chief added.

Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Fire Department Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton told ABC News that firefighters have been impacted emotionally by bodies found. She described the precarious scene firefighters have encountered inside of what is left of the warehouse, where the second floor is hanging just above the heads of search crews, with pianos, appliances and other materials dangling from above.

Preliminary indications suggest the blaze was not caused by arson, but rather an electrical fire. The power went out inside the building when the fire began and the flames blocked the building's only exit, making it difficult for people inside to escape, an official briefed on the ongoing investigation told ABC News.

According to The Associated Press, Oakland officials said they had opened an investigation into the warehouse last month, after repeated complaints from neighbors who said trash was piling up and people were illegally living in the building, which was zoned as a warehouse.

Darin Ranelletti, of the Oakland Planning Department, told the AP the city opened an investigation Nov. 13 and an investigator went to the premises on Nov. 17 but could not get inside.

ABC Bay Area affiliate KGO-TV reported that Derick Ion, founded the Ghost Ship Artist Collective and ran it at the warehouse. ABC News reached out to Ion but did not immediately receive a response.

Ion appeared to address the fire in a Facebook post early on Saturday morning by saying that "everything I worked for is gone."

"Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound... it's as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope.... to be standing now in poverty of self worth," he wrote.

Oakland's warehouses have become hubs for artists and musicians in recent years.

The Oakland-based weekly newspaper Eastbay Express has attributed gentrification and rising rents in the Bay Area as putting the Northern California region's counter-cultural arts scene in a crisis of space and money.

The Oakland Fire Department confirmed to the press that they are currently working with a variety of agencies in the aftermath of the tragedy, including the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County Search and Rescue, and the American Red Cross, among others.

Kelly asked the public to be patient as authorities look into the cause of the blaze, and continue to search for the missing and the dead.

"We will be here for days and days to come," Kelly said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>The death toll in the fire which ripped through a late-night rave in California has risen to 24.

Officials said they expect to find more bodies as the search continues – with a “significant number” of people still missing.

Only 20 per cent of the building has so far been searched after fire crews worked through the night to clear debris. The search for bodies is likely to continue for another 48 hours.

The converted warehouse known as the ‘Ghost Ship’, in Oakland, California, was being used to host a dance party when the fire broke out at 11.30pm on Friday (7.30am on Saturday UK time).

It is so far unclear what caused the fire in the building. Officials believe there were between 50 to 100 guests inside at the time.

Former residents who lived at the warehouse said the building had few exits and a makeshift staircase.

Sergeant Ray Kelly of Alameda County sheriff’s department said the blaze could have been sparked by a cigarette.

He said people either escaped from the building or died inside, where the only way down from the second story was via a stairwell made of wooden pallets.

Sgt Kelly added: “We know there are bodies in there that we can't get to - that have been seen but not recovered.”</s>OAKLAND, Calif. — The warehouse gutted by a blaze that killed at least nine people was home to musicians, painters, woodworkers, dancers and other artists who came together to make art and hold dance performances and parties. It was also a source of many complaints from neighbors.

The building known as the “Ghost Ship” located in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood was not zoned for people to live in, but neighbors had filed complaints saying the warehouse packed with pianos, paintings, turntables, statues, beds, couches and even a “coffin,” apparently was being used as a party venue and living quarters.

Photos of the interior showed a hodgepodge Bohemian scene of Tibetan prayer flags, Christmas lights and scores of wooden statues of Buddha, the virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, elephants and dragons that sat atop pianos and turntables. Tapestries hung from the walls, mannequin legs and arms stuck out from the ceiling, while rolled-up rugs sat in corners. A small, clear wooden spot of floor was at times used for art performances.

“It was just a labyrinth of little areas,” said Deputy Fire Chief Mark Hoffmann.

A second-story mezzanine had been built without permits and could only be accessed through a makeshift stairwell of wooden pallets, Hoffman said.

Photographer Bob Mule told reporters the warehouse was a 24-hour art collective where 18 artists, including him, often worked.

Steven Anguiano said he enjoyed spending time at the artist collective because of the people.

“It was always a welcoming environment, going there to enjoy a good time, meet new people and artists, talk to artists and have this real social network, inspiring artists and connective communities all around Oakland and San Francisco. Around the world, to be honest,” Anguiano said.

Oakland city officials began investigating blight and illegal construction reports as recently as three weeks ago. Darin Ranelletti, of the City of Oakland Planning Department, said the property was only permitted to be used as a warehouse and that investigators had visited it as recently as Nov. 17 to check on complaints of unpermitted construction but they were not able to enter the building.

“Permits would be needed for people to live in the buildings and those permits have not been issued,” he said.

He said no permits were issued for a party Friday night.

Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents the Fruitvale district and lives a block from the burned-out warehouse, said the building had been a problem for several years and many residents had complained.

“We were reporting the issues when it came to the illegal dumping … creating the rooms, there’s no permits,” he said. “Whether it’s law enforcement or the fire enforcement, we need to be more aggressive” about ensuring property owners are held accountable, he said.

A Facebook page for the Satya Yuga collective, which also was housed at the 4,000-square-foot structure, described it as an unprecedented “earth home bomb bunker helter skelter spelunker shelters and Indonesian straw huts rolling into valleys and down alleys.”

A former family friend, Danielle Boudreaux, identified Derick Ion Almena as the operator of the collective. A man known as Derick Ion posted a Facebook message early Saturday saying he was grateful his family was not there at the time but saddened at the loss of the collective.

“Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound,” Ion wrote.

“Are you seriously posting about the loss of our material possessions when your death trap murdered our friends?” Luna Xix wrote.</s>OAKLAND, Calif. — Officials say the death toll has risen to 24 in a fire that ripped through a late-night dance party in a converted warehouse in Oakland, Calif., and they expect that number to climb as the search continues.

Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly announced the new figure early Sunday. Only about 20 percent of the charred remains of the building have been searched. Oakland Battalion Fire Chief Melinda Drayton says fire crews worked through the night to clear debris from the gutted building.

The search for bodies is expected to continue at least 48 hours.

The building known as the "Ghost Ship" was an artist workspace and illegal home for a rotating cast of a dozen or more residents, those who lived there or visited often said.

Former residents said it was also a death trap with few exits, a rickety makeshift staircase, piles of driftwood and a labyrinth of electrical cords. The ground floor had five recreational vehicles and other nooks used as living spaces that were rented out to tenants, while the upstairs had space for concerts like the deadly party that drew up to 100 people Friday night.

With few lights, the place could be pitch black. One staircase led to a boarded up door. The water and electricity were stolen from neighbors and often didn't work.

"If you were not familiar with the building and the way that it was, if you were going there for a party, you wouldn't be aware of the maze that you have to go through to get out," said Danielle Boudreaux, a former friend of the couple who ran the warehouse.

Boudreaux identified the operators of the collective as Derick Ion Almena and Micah Allison. She said she had a falling out with Almena when she persuaded Allison's parents and sister about a year ago that the warehouse was a dangerous place for the couple's three children to live.

The couple charged tenants enough to cover the warehouse rent and used proceeds from parties to pay their own living expenses, Boudreaux said.

On Saturday, the artist retreat had turned into a scene of horrors, the 4,000-square-foot structure to rubble. The building's roof had collapsed into the second floor, which in places fell to the bottom floor. Firefighters had to temporarily stop their search and rescue operations Saturday when they became too dangerous, taking time to shore up the structure, Oakland deputy fire chief Mark Hoffmann said.

Oakland officials said they had opened an investigation just last month into the warehouse after repeated complaints from neighbors who said trash was piling up and people were illegally living in the building, which was zoned as a warehouse.

Darin Ranelletti, of the Oakland Planning Department, said the city opened an investigation Nov. 13 and an investigator went to the premises on Nov. 17 but could not get inside. The city has not confirmed people were living inside.

Shelley Mack said she lived there about two years ago, staying four or five months. She said she wasn't told the residence was illegal until after she moved in, when she was instructed to tell visitors it was a 24-hour workspace for artists.

When outsiders or inspectors planned to visit, residents would scurry to hide clothes and bedding, Mack said.

"It's like a horror house. Just horrors in there," she said, referring to things such as no electricity, running water and freezing temperatures.

Alastair Boone, 22, a University of California, Berkeley student arrived at the party with five friends around 11 p.m. and had just received a tour of the property and stepped outside before the fire broke out.

"In a couple of minutes there were flames coming out of the windows and black smoke was just billowing out of the house," she said.

A man identified as Derick Ion posted a Facebook message early Saturday, saying "Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound." He drew rebukes online from others who said he was warned the building was unsafe.

Almena did not immediately respond to emails sent to addresses affiliated with him. Phone numbers either rang continually or were disconnected. Authorities declined to talk about the manager when asked by reporters Saturday, saying they were focused on recovering the bodies and consoling the families.

Online records listed the building's owner as Nar Siu Chor. The Associated Press could not locate a telephone number for her Saturday and efforts to reach her at other Oakland addresses associated with her were not successful.

A website for the warehouse showed pictures of a Bohemian, loft-like interior made of wood and cluttered with rugs, old sofas and a garage-sale like collection of pianos, paintings, turntables, statues and other items. Advertisements touted various electronic music parties. Friday night's event featured musician Golden Donna's 100% Silk West Coast tour.

It's unclear what sparked the fire, but officials said the clutter served as a tinderbox and there were no sprinklers inside.

Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly said people either escaped from the building or died inside, where the only way down from the second story was via a stairwell constructed entirely of wooden pallets. "It appears that either you got out or you got trapped inside."

About 50 to 100 people were believed to have been at the party when the fire started around 11:30 p.m. Friday, officials said.

Oakland police urged those concerned about missing people to call the Alameda County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau at (510) 382-3000.</s>Oakland, California (CNN) At least 24 people have been confirmed dead in a massive blaze that gutted a converted warehouse over the weekend during an electronic dance party.

The death toll is expected to rise as crews search the wreckage of the two-story building, which burst into flames late Friday night. Only some 20% of the building had been searched as of Sunday morning, authorities said.

"We anticipate that the number of victims ... will increase, " said Alameda County Sheriff Sgt. Ray Kelly.

Names of some victims could be released Sunday, Kelly said.

Oakland battalion fire chief Melinda Drayton said the recovery search would be long and arduous as firefighters work to remove debris "literally bucket by bucket in a methodical, thoughtful, mindful and compassionate way."

"We had firefighters with basically coveralls and buckets and shovels taking bits of debris out into the vacant lot to be loaded into dump trucks and removed to an off-site location," she said.

Drayton, who has been with the department for 19 years, called it one of the most deadly fires in the city's history. An Oakland Hills fire in 1991 killed 25 people.

Even after firefighters put out the blaze Saturday, the building was deemed too unsafe for emergency responders to enter. Officials say the roof collapsed onto the second floor and then parts of that collapsed on to the first floor.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf called the fire an "immense tragedy" and pledged to get a "full accounting" that could be shared with the public as quickly as possible.

'You could feel the heat of the flames'

By the time John Evanofski arrived at 31st Avenue, giant flames lit up the night sky amid the billows of black smoke.

"You could feel the heat of the flames," he told CNN. "Most of us were crying or unable to react. It was so hot and so terrible knowing that so many of us were still inside."

A Facebook page created for the event became a forum for friends and family of the victims who posted frantic messages seeking information about loved ones. Those who survived shared their names to show they were safe.

'I had to let him go'

For filmmaker and photographer Bob Mulé, the warehouse was both his home and his community.

The 27-year-old Mulé told CNN more than 20 people living in the warehouse, paid rent and were all involved in the creation of the space.

On Friday night, Mule stopped upstairs to listen to some music he described as a "very tame setting." Afterward, he headed downstairs to work on a painting. From his studio, he smelled smoke.

After seeing the flames, Mulé ran to find a fire extinguisher. He found one, but could not open the pin. When Mulé turned back to save his camera and laptop, he spotted a fellow artist who called out for help. Mulé suspected that heavy-set artist had broken his ankle after falling from the second floor.

"I was pulling him out," said Mulé, who sustained burns from the fire. "The flames were too much. There was too much smoke and ... I had to let him go."

The building is known as the "Ghost Ship."

Photos posted online show an interior cluttered with drums, keyboards, guitars, clocks, ornate beds, plush sofas, mirrored dressers, tables, benches and artifacts. Exotic lamps hang from the ceiling, and paintings adorn some of the walls.

Darin Ranelletti, Oakland's interim director of planning and building, told reporters Saturday the city had only approved permits for the building to be used as a warehouse -- not for residences. City officials also had not signed off on a special permit for the event, Ranelletti said. In addition, firefighters found no evidence of sprinklers in the warehouse.

Last month the warehouse's owners had received notification of city code violations for hazardous trash and debris, property records show. Officials had not yet completed an investigation into a November complaint for an illegal interior building structure.

CNN has reached out to the property owners for comment. Johnna Watson, Oakland police spokeswoman, said the building was not deemed a crime scene, but it was still early in the investigation.

More than 40 people gathered Saturday at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland for a vigil for victims. Organizers asked attendees to light a candle at the end of the service, saying flames caused pain and destruction "but tonight we light the flame for good and for peace."

Now as loved ones seek answers, photographer Mulé must wrestle with the reality of losing a friend and grapple with his memories of the horrific night.

"I tried to save my friend but I had to leave him," Mulé said.</s>Oakland, California (CNN) Oakland authorities have already deemed the fire at an warehouse cum arts space to be one of the city's deadliest blazes ever. But the death toll is expected to rise as investigators slowly comb through the wreckage of the two-story building, officials said.

At least 33 people have been confirmed dead, including teenagers and a deputy's son, in a massive blaze that last Friday gutted a converted warehouse during an electronic dance party.

But less than a third of the building had been searched as of Sunday afternoon, Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly said in a news conference.

It could take weeks to identify victims through DNA and dental records, he said. Officials have asked victims' families to preserve their loved ones' personal belongings including hairbrushes and toothbrushes that could contain DNA samples. Kelly added that officials were also working with the transgender community to identify some of the victims.

"The scope of this tragedy is tremendous," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said Sunday.

One of deadliest fires ever in Oakland

The City of Oakland released the names of seven victims Sunday night. They were identified as Cash Askew, 22, David Cline, 35, Donna Kellogg, 32, Travis Hough, 35, all of Oakland; Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, of Coronado, California; Sara Hoda, 30, of Walnut Creek, California; and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, of Hayward, California. The name of an eighth victim, a 17-year-old minor, will not be released, the city said.

Oakland Battalion Fire Chief Melinda Drayton cautioned that the recovery search could be a long and arduous process as firefighters work to remove debris "literally bucket by bucket in a methodical, thoughtful, mindful and compassionate way,"

"We had firefighters with basically coveralls and buckets and shovels taking bits of debris out into the vacant lot to be loaded into dump trucks and removed to an off-site location," she said.

Drayton, a 19-year veteran, called it one of the deadliest fires in the city's history -- including a 1991 fire in Oakland Hills that killed 25 people.

Officials said the roof collapsed onto the second floor. After that happened, parts of the second floor collapsed on to the first floor. Even after firefighters extinguished the blaze Saturday, they quickly deemed the building so unsafe that emergency responders couldn't enter as a precautionary measure.

'You could feel the heat of the flames'

By the time John Evanofski arrived at 31st Avenue, giant flames lit up the night sky amid the billows of black smoke.

"You could feel the heat of the flames," he said. "Most of us were crying or unable to react. It was so hot and so terrible knowing that so many of us were still inside."

A Facebook page created for the event became a forum for friends and family of the victims, who posted frantic messages seeking information about loved ones. Those who survived shared their names to show they were safe.

'I had to let him go'

For filmmaker and photographer Bob Mulé, the warehouse was both his home and his community.

Mulé, 27, said more than 20 people living in the warehouse paid rent and all helped in the creation of the space.

On Friday night, Mulé stopped upstairs to listen to some music he described as a "very tame setting." Afterward, he headed downstairs to work on a painting. From his studio, he smelled smoke.

After seeing the flames, Mulé ran to find a fire extinguisher. He found one, but could not open the pin. When Mulé turned back to save his camera and laptop, he spotted a fellow artist who called out for help. Mulé suspected that heavy-set artist had broken his ankle after falling from the second floor.

"I was pulling him out," said Mulé, who suffered burns from the fire. "The flames were too much. There was too much smoke and ... I had to let him go."

The Ghost Ship: A haven for artists in a gentrifying region

Photos posted online show an interior cluttered with drums, keyboards, guitars, clocks, ornate beds, plush sofas, mirrored dressers, tables, benches and artifacts. Exotic lamps hang from the ceiling, and paintings adorn some of the walls.

Darin Ranelletti, Oakland's interim director of planning and building, told reporters Saturday the city had only approved permits for the building to be used as a warehouse, not for residences. City officials also had not signed off on a special permit for the event, Ranelletti said. In addition, firefighters found no evidence of sprinklers in the warehouse.

Last month the warehouse's owners had received notification of city code violations for hazardous trash and debris, property records show. Officials had not yet completed an investigation into a November complaint about an illegal interior building structure.

'One of those Catch-22 situations'

Josette Melchor, executive director of Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, told CNN that most people familiar with Ghost Ship knew it had issues, that it was not quite up to code. So it goes for many live-work warehouses, as they struggle to accommodate demand from artists for affordable spaces. Fear of losing a home or displacing others keeps some people from reporting possible violations, she said.

"It's one of those Catch-22 situations. A lot of us knew it was unsafe and it could have been fine had there been a smaller amount of people," she said. "But when you start having big parties it crosses the line."

CNN has reached out to the property owners for comment.</s>Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued the following statement regarding last night's Oakland warehouse fire that resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries:

“Anne and I were saddened to learn of last night's tragic fire in Oakland. Our thoughts are with the entire city in this difficult time and we extend our condolences to the family and friends of those lost.”</s>OAKLAND: The death toll from a fire at a California warehouse where a rave party was taking place rose to 33, with the authorities saying they had no idea how many more bodies they may find.

“When we started this investigation, if you would have told us we would have 33 victims, we wouldn’t have believed you,” Sergeant Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department told reporters, adding that crews had searched less than half of the gutted building.

“I don’t know how many people are left in there. We have no idea how many people were in that building that night… We’re expecting the worst and hoping for the best in regards to how many more victims we find.”

The fire in Oakland, near San Francisco, broke out about 11:30 pm Friday (0730 GMT Saturday) at the cluttered warehouse where artists and students worked and lived, even though the structure wasn’t licensed for such use.

The electronic dance music party, with between 50 and 100 guests, also took place without a permit.

Although the cause of the fast-moving blaze remains under investigation, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the district attorney had opened a criminal investigation as a precaution to preserve options as the case unfolds.

“You have to understand that the scope of this tragedy is tremendous,” she said. “We have many, many witnesses to interview. We are in the process of doing that.”

Eight victims have been identified based on fingerprints so far, ranging in age from 17 to 35.

Some were from Europe and Asia, and the Oakland authorities are working with the State Department to contact foreign governments, Kelly said, declining to reveal which countries.

Bodies were found scattered throughout the warehouse, known locally as Oakland Ghost Ship.

“We’re finding people throughout the entire square footage of that structure,” Kelly said. “It’s so random. We’re finding victims where we least expect it.”

The authorities on Sunday asked relatives of the missing to “eliminate future delays” in identifying victims by preserving such items as hairbrushes and toothbrushes for DNA samples.

“We will ask for them as we need them,” said Captain Melanie Ditzenberger of the sheriff’s department coroner’s bureau.

Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed has said the interior of the warehouse was maze-like, “filled end-to-end with furniture, whatnot, collections.”

“There wasn’t a real entry or exit path,” she said.

Images published online show artwork, pianos and wooden objects throughout the building, which helps explain why the blaze raced through the structure despite firefighters’ arrival within three minutes.

Firefighters also said the building appeared to have had no sprinklers or smoke detectors.

Officials said the roof collapsed onto the second floor, which was connected to the ground floor only by a makeshift system of wooden pallets.

A dozen bodies were found in an area in the middle of the building, Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton said.

Firefighters had taken every precaution to treat human remains with respect as they cleared debris bucket by bucket, she added.

The fire was the deadliest incident in Oakland since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in northern California, which killed 63 people.

The deadliest nightclub fire in the United States in recent decades occurred in 2003, when pyrotechnic effects by the rock band Great White set off an inferno at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island, killing 100 people.

Oakland, a city of 420,000, was once deemed largely unsafe but is now home to a more affluent population attracted by affordable rents and proximity to San Francisco. AFP</s>OAKLAND, Calif. - The death toll in a fire that devastated an Oakland, California, loft building during a weekend dance party has climbed to 30 people and is expected to rise further as recovery teams push deeper into the charred ruin, authorities said on Sunday.

The remains of the 30 victims were found as authorities sifted through the debris-filled shell of the two-story converted warehouse being used by an artists' collective.

"That is an astronomical number," Sergeant Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, told a news briefing. "We're still not done."

Kelly warned earlier that the number of fatalities would likely rise in what fire officials called the deadliest blaze in the Bay Area city's history. He said names of the victims would be released "in the coming hours" after their families were notified.

"In regards to the amount of people that are still missing, yes, it's a significant number, Kelly said.

The fire erupted about 11:30 p.m. on Friday (0730 GMT on Saturday) during the party featuring electronic dance music that dozens of people attended.

Only 20 percent of the building had been searched in the past 12 hours, Melinda Drayton, battalion chief at the Oakland Fire Department, said on Sunday morning. She said the origin of the fire had yet to be determined and the cause was unknown.

The recovery operation had been delayed for hours until workers could enter safely. The roof had collapsed onto the second floor and in some spots, the second story had fallen onto the first. (Additional reporting by Tim Mclaughlin in Chicago; Writing by Frank McGurty; Editing by Alan Crosby and Peter Cooney)</s>The death toll from a fire which tore through a late-night electronic music party in California has increased to 24.

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The ferocity of the blaze at the converted warehouse in Oakland has made the charred structure difficult for emergency crews to search, and officials said they expect the death toll to increase further.

Oakland battalion fire chief Melinda Drayton said firefighters worked through the night to clear debris from the gutted building.

The fire started at about 11.30pm on Friday during the party, and it is believed up to 100 people may have been in attendance.

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The confirmed death toll in Friday night's warehouse fire in Oakland, California rises to 33 with several people still missing.