9 burnt to death in US dance party
Nine people were killed and 25 missing after a huge blaze broke out during a rave party near San Francisco held in a cluttered, maze-like warehouse for artists, fire officials said.
Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said most of those who died in the blaze that started about 11:30 pm (0730 GMT) Friday were thought to have died on the upper floor of the two-story warehouse known as "Oakland Ghostship.
"It must have been a very fast-moving fire," she told reporters.
It was not immediately known what sparked the inferno at the electronic dance music party attended by 50 to 100 people.
By mid-morning Saturday, fire crews had not yet been able to sweep the scene and officials said they feared the death toll could rise significantly once rescuers were able to enter the building.
"We still have to do a more thorough search of the building and we don't know the potential number of other victims," Reed said.
The building, which housed artists including several who apparently lived there, had numerous partitions and a makeshift stairwell built from pallets.
Some of the structural changes made it extremely difficult for people to escape, Reed said.
"There wasn't a real entry or exit path," she said.
"I don't know where the fire started, but I do know that the way the building was situated made it difficult for people to escape," Reed said.
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