Comment on 24 dead in Oakland fire, more expected

By The Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Officials in Oakland, California, say the death toll has risen to 24 from a fire that ripped through a converted warehouse. Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly announced the new figure early Sunday. He says officials anticipate that the number will rise. Oakland Battalion Fire Chief Melinda Drayton says fire crews worked through the night to clear debris from the gutted building. The converted warehouse was known as the "Ghost Ship." Those who lived there or visited often say it was an artist workspace and illegal home for a rotating group of a dozen or more residents. Firefighters struggled to get to bodies in the charred rubble Saturday. The fire started about 11:30 p.m.