9 die in club fire
Fears for revellers still missing after inferno at venue
A NIGHTCLUB fire has killed at least nine people, with around 25 others still missing as recuse efforts continued last night.
More than 50 firefighters battled the blaze, which broke out during a musician’s performance at the venue.
Around 70 clubbers are thought to have been at the Ghost Ship club in Oakland, northern California.
They were attending an event by artist Golden Donna, real name Joel Shanahan, who was yesterday thought to be among those still unaccounted for.
Survivor Bob Mule, who lives in the building, said: “It was too hot, too much smoke, I had to get out of there.
“I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated by smoke.”
He added some revellers jumped from windows to escape the flames.
The inferno started on the second floor of the building, at around 11.30pm local time on Friday. It took firefighters four hours to bring the blaze under control.
Oakland Fire Department said emer- gency crews had gained entry to the venue to tackle the flames from the inside, but conditions changed, forcing them back.
Fire chief Teresa Deloach Reed told local media: “We still have to do a more thorough search of the building and we don’t know the potential number of other victims. This is a true loss for the city.”
Police were requesting photos, names and descriptions of the ravers who were still unaccounted for yesterday. Family and friends were appealing for news of their loved ones on social media.