Oakland Warehouse Fire: Lakewood Woman Among the Missing

LAKEWOOD, CA -- A Lakewood woman is among the three UC Berkeley students unaccounted for from the deadly warehouse fire Friday in Oakland, according to the campus newspaper.

The paper -- The Daily Californian -- reported that several UC Berkeley students had been at the warehouse where an electronic music dance party was going on. There are 36 confirmed dead and many more unaccounted for, making it the deadliest fire in Oakland's history.

Vanessa Plotkin, 21, is among the missing, according to the Daily Californian. Friends had been frantically posting on social media in a desperate attempt to locate her. She has not been heard from since about 11 p.m. Friday, when she sent out a text saying she planned to go to a party in Oakland, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported. Her father, Gary Plotkin, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the family is desperate to locate her.

"We're beside ourselves," Plotkin said. "This is just like a nightmare. I can't believe this."

The fire broke out at 11:30 p.m. Friday during an unauthorized electronic music concert, and it was unclear how many people were in the building at the time of the fire. The location of the concert had been a secret until shortly before the show, according to the Los Angeles Times.

When the announcement was made on social media via Twitter and Instagram, about 70 people had gathered at the "Ghost Ship," a warehouse that was turned into an artist live-work place, the Times reported.

There were apparently no fire alarms or working sprinklers inside the building.

By the time firefighters arrived, they were met with flames shooting out of three sides of the building. The fire grew so intense that it became too dangerous for them to enter. The Alameda County District Attorney's office has begun a criminal investigation into the cause of the fire, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said Sunday.

For the latest on the Oakland warehouse fire, click here.

Additional Coverage:

• Oakland Warehouse Fire: 33 Killed, IDs to Be Released, Recovery Efforts Continue (UPDATES)
• Support Pours in for Oakland Fire Victims: How You Can Help
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Nightclubs Have Long Posed Safety Questions
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: 10 Bodies Recovered, Dozens More Deaths Suspected (UPDATES)
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Three UC Berkeley Students Among the Missing Says Student Paper

Victims:

• Oakland Fire Victims Identified: Coroner's Bureau Releases Names of 7
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Santa Monica Man Among Those Killed
• Oakland Fire Victim From Walnut Creek
• Oakland Fire Victim From Hayward, Coroner Reports
• Coronado Man Identified As Victim In Oakland Fire
• Morristown Man Missing From Deadly CA Warehouse Fire: Report
• N.J. Man Among 24 Missing In Deadly CA Warehouse Fire, Reports Say

-- Patch editor Neal McNamara and City News Service contributed to this report. Image via Alameda County Sheriff's Office