A total of 36 deaths were recorded in the fire at an Oakland warehouse known as the "Ghost Ship." Among those who were killed are teenagers, authorities have confirmed.
The Oakland warehouse fire incident took place on Sunday. According to Fox Nation, 35 to 40 percent of the collapsed structure were still being searched. It was expected that the death toll will increase once crews are done clearing the debris from the incident.
Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly said in a statement that eight victims have been identified and one of them is a teenager. The 17-year-old's name has not been identified yet. The other victims were identified as 22-year-old Cash Askew, 25-year-old Nick Gomez-Hall, 30-year-old Sara Hoda, Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, Donna Kellogg, also 32, and 35-year-olds David Clines and Travis Hough. Some of the victims, who have not been identified yet, are said to be from Europe and Asia. Another victim is said to be the son of an Alameda County sheriff's deputy.
Fox News also reported that the fire broke out during an underground dance party at the building. The death toll from the fire made authorities mark the incident as the most lethal building fire in more than 10 years in the United States. The warehouse is said to be converted to artists' studios and illegal living spaces.
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said in a statement that they have deployed a tem who will search for evidence of a crime in the warehouse. Potential charges could be involuntary manslaughter and murder but as of now, no evidence has been found that the fire was intentional.
O'Malley shared that it is too early to speculate as they just started their investigation. She added that they owe it to the community and those who perished in the fire as well as those who survived. She also said that they will "take the amount of time it takes to be able to look at every piece of potential evidence."
The warehouse is said to be owned by Chor N. Ng and her daughter, Eva Ng, claimed that they leased the warehouse as a studio space and they thought it was not being used as a home. As of writing, the cause of the fire remains unknown.
