Over the weekend, an electronic music show in the DIY warehouse venue known as “Ghost Ship” in Oakland, California turned into a nightmarish inferno, after a fire broke out in the building and trapped partygoers inside. The building, which officially operated as an artists’ collective/studio space but had people living there illegally, had multiple building code violations—chief of which was the lack of an official stairway to the second floor, only a makeshift staircase made of wooden pallets, which fire officials say contributed to the high death toll. As of this morning, the Alameda County district attorney’s office is launching a criminal investigation of the fire alongside the Alameda County sheriff and Oakland police, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The death toll, initially reported as nine people, has now officially risen to 36, as firefighters slowly comb through the charred remains of the building. Rescue teams had to halt their search Sunday night due to fears of an unstable exterior wall collapsing; 30 percent of the building has yet to be searched, according to CNN. Dozens of people are still missing, and Alameda County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly says the death toll is likely to rise. Officials have asked loved ones of the missing to locate personal items, like hairbrushes, that contain DNA to help in identifying remains, and say the process could continue for several more weeks.