Oakland fire kills at least 9 people, fire chief says - East Idaho News
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Oakland fire kills at least 9 people, fire chief says

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(CNN) — A fire broke out at a mixed residential and work building in Oakland, California, on Friday night, killing at least nine people and leaving about two dozen missing, city Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said.

Firefighters responded to reports of a blaze at 1305 31st Ave. around 11:32 p.m., according to the fire department.

A large gathering had been taking place at the building Friday night, CNN affiliate KRON-TV reported, citing fire officials.

“A majority of the fatalities were found up on the second floor,” Reed told reporters Saturday morning. “It must have been a very fast-moving fire.”

Twenty-five people remain unaccounted for, Reed told CNN. She said those numbers came from residents who said these people had not been seen since the fire erupted.

“We don’t know if any of them went someplace else, self-transported to the hospital,” Reed said. “We just don’t know that at this time.”

Terry Lightfoot with Highland Hospital in Oakland told CNN that the hospital received two patients and one of them has already been discharged. Lightfoot did not know the condition of the patient who remains hospitalized.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau has been called to the scene. Crews will begin searching the rubble for bodies and for the cause of the fire.

A Facebook page has been created for those searching for information on friends and loved ones.

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