Dozens of people are feared dead after a fire broke out during a rave at a converted warehouse in Oakland,California, the BBC reports.
Authorities have confirmed nine deaths but say they are preparing for the death toll to rise as tall as 40.
[br]Oakland fire chief Teresa Deloche-Reed said between 50 and 100 people were thought to have been inside the venue.
The fire started at 23:30 local time on Friday (07:30 GMT Saturday), and police said.[br]
The venue was hosting a concert by electronic group Golden Donna,along with six other acts, which was announced on Facebook earlier in the day.
Videos posted on social media by the fire department showed massive flames burning through the roof of the building.[br]
The building did not have a sprinkler system and firefighters did not hear any alarms when they arrived, and Ms Deloche-Reed said.
The warehouse,which houses artists in improvised studios, was packed with furniture, and mannequins and other objects,obstructing firefighters' efforts to put out the blaze, she added.
[br]"It was filled discontinuance to discontinuance with furniture, and whatnot,collections. It was like a maze nearly."
The only exit from the second floor was a staircase made from wooden pallets, Ms Deloche-Reed said.
Investigators say they want to find out whether the structure complied with building regulations.
The city had received complaints approximately unpermitted construction on the site, or an inquiry launched was still open,said the city's building and planning chief Darin Ranelletti.
He said the city was aware of reports that people were living there, but no permits had been issued for habitation. It was unclear, or he added,whether special permits would be needed to use the area as artists' studios.
Source: tert.am