<div>Up to 40 people were feared dead in a huge fire that tore through a rave party held in a warehouse near San Francisco, authorities said, warning that the initial death toll of nine would likely rise once crews swept the stricken building.<br /><br />Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said most of those who perished in the blaze that started about 11:30 pm (1300 IST) yesterday were thought to have died on the upper floor of the two-story warehouse known as Oakland Ghostship.<br /><br />"It must have been a very fast-moving fire," she told reporters.<br /><br />It was not immediately known what sparked the inferno at the electronic dance music party attended by an estimated 50 to 100 people.<br /><br />By mid-day today, fire crews had not yet been able to fully sweep the scene and officials braced for more casualties once rescuers entered the building.<br /><br />"We are prepared for several dozen fatalities," Sergeant Ray Kelly, of the Alameda County Sheriff's department, told reporters. "We are prepared to deal with 30, 40 deceased people."<br /><br />He said some of the missing were from overseas, making identification of the victims -- thought to be in their 20s and 30s -- more difficult.<br /><br />The warehouse, which housed an artist collective, had numerous partitions that had been added and a makeshift stairwell built from pallets.<br /><br />Some of the structural changes made it extremely difficult for people to escape, Reed said.<br /><br />"There wasn't a real entry or exit path," she said.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Firefighters were hampered in their efforts to put out the blaze by clutter.<br /><br />"It was filled end to end with furniture, whatnot, collections," Reed said. "It was like a maze almost."<br /><br />She added that it appeared no smoke detectors were activated in the building, which also had no sprinkler system.<br /><br />The fire raced through the structure quickly and got out of control at one point, forcing firefighters to pull back.<br /><br />Friends and family of partygoers went to social media to try and find news about their loved ones, with some posting information on the event's Facebook page.<br /><br />"Please tell me you are safe," one woman wrote, adding a friend's name, while others posted prayers.<br /><br />The rave party featured a little-known act called Golden Donna and several other performers. It was unclear if any of the DJs were among the dead.<br /><br />"I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated by smoke," Bob Mule, a photographer who lives in the building, told Fox television affiliate KTVU. "I couldn't get the fire extinguisher to work."<br /><br />Another artist told the station that the fire broke out in the back of the building where some 18 artists shared space.</div>
<div>Up to 40 people were feared dead in a huge fire that tore through a rave party held in a warehouse near San Francisco, authorities said, warning that the initial death toll of nine would likely rise once crews swept the stricken building.<br /><br />Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said most of those who perished in the blaze that started about 11:30 pm (1300 IST) yesterday were thought to have died on the upper floor of the two-story warehouse known as Oakland Ghostship.<br /><br />"It must have been a very fast-moving fire," she told reporters.<br /><br />It was not immediately known what sparked the inferno at the electronic dance music party attended by an estimated 50 to 100 people.<br /><br />By mid-day today, fire crews had not yet been able to fully sweep the scene and officials braced for more casualties once rescuers entered the building.<br /><br />"We are prepared for several dozen fatalities," Sergeant Ray Kelly, of the Alameda County Sheriff's department, told reporters. "We are prepared to deal with 30, 40 deceased people."<br /><br />He said some of the missing were from overseas, making identification of the victims -- thought to be in their 20s and 30s -- more difficult.<br /><br />The warehouse, which housed an artist collective, had numerous partitions that had been added and a makeshift stairwell built from pallets.<br /><br />Some of the structural changes made it extremely difficult for people to escape, Reed said.<br /><br />"There wasn't a real entry or exit path," she said.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Firefighters were hampered in their efforts to put out the blaze by clutter.<br /><br />"It was filled end to end with furniture, whatnot, collections," Reed said. "It was like a maze almost."<br /><br />She added that it appeared no smoke detectors were activated in the building, which also had no sprinkler system.<br /><br />The fire raced through the structure quickly and got out of control at one point, forcing firefighters to pull back.<br /><br />Friends and family of partygoers went to social media to try and find news about their loved ones, with some posting information on the event's Facebook page.<br /><br />"Please tell me you are safe," one woman wrote, adding a friend's name, while others posted prayers.<br /><br />The rave party featured a little-known act called Golden Donna and several other performers. It was unclear if any of the DJs were among the dead.<br /><br />"I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated by smoke," Bob Mule, a photographer who lives in the building, told Fox television affiliate KTVU. "I couldn't get the fire extinguisher to work."<br /><br />Another artist told the station that the fire broke out in the back of the building where some 18 artists shared space.</div>