Faulty fridge may have sparked deadly warehouse fire
A warehouse fire in Oakland that killed 36 people may have been caused by a refrigerator or other electrical appliance, investigators say.
Details about a possible cause emerged as fire crews nearly completed their search for bodies in the most lethal building fire in the US in more than a decade.
The death toll remained at 36 and despite initial suspicions was not expected to grow higher at this point.
A refrigerator was a potential source of the fire, but Jill Snyder a special agent in charge of the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was too early to be sure.
Investigators are now under the impression that a fridge on the ground level may have sparked the fire. Source: Kgo-tv
Firefighters work on the scene. Photo: Getty Images
A firefighter carries a hose towards a smoldering building after a fire tore through a warehouse party early Saturday. Source: AAP
Ms Snyder said investigators were looking at "anything electrical" on the first floor of the warehouse near the origin of the blaze.
"We have no indication that this was intentionally set," she added.
As criminal investigators joined recovery efforts at the charred two-storey loft building, just east of San Francisco, firefighters have discovered the remains of some three dozen people as they picked through the debris-filled wreckage.
Some of the victims were 17 or younger, although most were in their 20s and 30s, officials said. Some were from elsewhere in the country and abroad.
With many of the victims burned beyond recognition, families have been asked to preserve items that might contain their DNA to help identification.
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Investigators 'absolutely believe' more bodies will be found as Ghost Ship fire death toll hits 36
Tearful family members visited the scene and exchanged hugs hours after the founder of the arts collective that used the warehouse stood near the gutted building and said he was "incredibly sorry".
"Everything that I did was to make this a stronger and more beautiful community and to bring people together," Derick Ion Almena told the Today Show on NBC.
The fire broke out during a dance party Friday night in the cluttered warehouse.
It had been converted to artists' studios and illegal living spaces, and former residents said it was a death trap of piled wood, furniture, snaking electrical cords and only two exits.
The death toll continues to rise as the investigation continues. Source: Kgo-tv
A tribute to victims lays outside. Photo: Getty Images
It's the deadliest event in Oakland since 1989. Photo: Getty Images
Crews had searched 90 per cent of the building known as the Ghost Ship for bodies as of Tuesday afternoon and were expecting to complete the rest of the search by midnight.
Alameda County Sheriff's Deputy Tya Modeste said of the 36 victims found, 26 of their families have been notified.
She said another nine bodies have been "tentatively identified".
Today's top news stories – December 8
