36 Dead, Two 100% Silk Label Artists Missing After Oakland, CA Warehouse Party Fire
[UPDATED] At least 36 party goers and 2 underground dance artists, Cherushii (Chelsea Faith Dolan) and Nackt (Johnny Igaz), signed to the 100% Silk label, are missing after fire engulfed the Ghost Ship, a two-story, 9,900-square-foot artists' space in Oakland, CA.
A third 100% Silk label artist, Joel Shanahan, who performs under the name Golden Donna, escaped unharmed. "Yesterday was the worst day in our entire music-making lives," 100% Silk co-owner Amanda Brown, told the L.A. Weekly.
The deadly fire ripped through the Ghost Ship warehouse hosting an EDM event in Oakland on Friday night, leaving 33 dead and many others unaccounted for.
The venue, a former warehouse converted into an an artist collective and antique shop, was hosting a performance that featured 3 artists on the 100% Silk label, including Wisconsin-based artist Golden Donna and DJ/Producers Cherushii and Nackt, both from the San Francisco Bay area.
Officials told ABC News that preliminary indications suggest that the fire was electrical in nature and that flames blocked the building's only exit. Reclaimed wood used to decorate the space may have helped feed the fire.
In the coming days, investigators will seek to determine if the building's owner knew it was being used for public performances and suggested that criminal charges could be possible, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
One person who was inside the warehouse at the time of the fire told ABC affiliate KGO that the building is home to about 18 people who use it as an artist collective. So far, fire officials have confirmed that 33 36 people died in the conflagration, but that number is expected to rise as investigators comb through the debris. 70% of the building still need to be searched as of Monday morning.
According to the New York Times, the building suffered extensive damage and collapsed following the blaze, which reportedly started just after midnight.
“We expect the number of deceased to go up,” Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’
Portions of this story were update from Celebrity Access.
