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. 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. 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. 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. 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, which was connected to the ground floor only by a makeshift system of wooden pallets. 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. 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.
The confirmed death toll in Friday night's warehouse fire in Oakland, California rises to 33 with several people still missing.