OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Fire tore through an Oakland warehouse converted into artist studios during a late night dance party, killing at least nine people, and officials said Saturday that the death toll could rise as high as 40. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed speaks to the press following an overnight fire that claimed the lives of at least nine people at a warehouse in the Fruitvale neighbourhood on Dec. 3, 2016 in Oakland, Calif. It took about four hours for firefighters to put out the blaze — which caused the roof of the building to collapse — finally extinguishing it about 11:30 p.m. Oakland Fire Department is working with federal partners to determine the cause of the fire, according to a press release. Officials said people either escaped from the cluttered building or died inside, where the only way down from the second story was via a stairwell constructed entirely of wooden pallets. “It was too hot, too much smoke, I had to get out of there,” Bob Mule, a photographer and artist who lives at the building and suffered minor burns, told the East Bay Times. I couldn’t get the fire extinguisher to work.”

People used the event's Facebook page Saturday to post and seek information on family and friends who may have been in the building. The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau and the American Red Cross have organized a Family Assistance Center at 2425 East 12th St. in Oakland, with grief counseling and resources for families affected by the tragedy.
At least nine people are killed and 40 are missing in a warehouse fire in Oakland, California.