|
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Criminal probe has been initiated against the warehouse fire in Oakland, California, as the death toll of the worst fire in the city's history climbed to 36 as of Monday morning.
The search for survivors was suspended on Sunday night as the warehouse seemed to be unstable, and was resumed at 9:00 a.m. (1700 GMT) on Monday, Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Johnna Watson told a press briefing shortly before noon.
It was still unclear how many bodies would be found. Officials initially estimated that the fatalities could be up to 40, but Sergeant Ray Kelly of Alameda County Sheriff's Office declined to speculate, only saying that the number would continue to rise.
"We are no closer to finding the cause, and we absolutely believe that the number of fire fatalities will increase," Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton was also quoted as saying at the site.
However, the AP reported that Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern has said that sheriff's officials don't believe additional bodies will be found in the fire. Rescue crews have gone through roughly three-quarters of the building.
On Monday, authorities said they have identified a total of 11 victims. Names of seven victims that had been identified were also released overnight.
All of them were Californians in their 20s and 30s, including four local residents and two others from nearby cities in northern California. The name of an additional victim, a 17-year-old minor, was withheld.
Some victims were from other countries and regions like South Korea, Finland and South America, Kelly said, adding some of the victims had died from smoke inhalation.
Prosecutors said murder charges are possible. The site of the deadly blaze, which started Friday night and lasted into Saturday morning, was treated as a crime scene. ' Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafa said Sunday afternoon that a criminal investigation team was "activated" to search for evidence of a crime.
A growing number of local people sent flowers, candles and notes to pay tribute to the victims.
Police were reportedly planning to use camera footages, emergency calls and other information to help determine the cause of the fire and whether criminal charges should be filed.
The warehouse, known as "The Oakland Ghost Ship," was permitted by the city only for storage purposes. However, the two-story structure in an industrial neighborhood of East Oakland was converted into art studios, a party venue and probably a residence.
Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach-Reed said Saturday there was no sign of fire alarms and no evidence of a sprinkler system.
