At least nine people were killed Friday after a fire broke out at a warehouse party in California.
Officials say that number could rise to 40, even 50.
The fire broke out Friday at 11:30 p.m. during a gathering at a two-story warehouse and artists' studio in Oakland.
Some 100 party-goers are still missing.
"Coroner's bureau which is working in conjunction with the Police Department and the Fire Department, we're prepared for mass casualty events," said Sgt. Ray Kelly with the Alameda County Sherriff's Office. "I'm not going to throw out numbers here at this point but we're prepared to deal with several dozen fatalities as a result of this fire."
Most of the dead were found on the second floor.
Fire officials say the only stairway was made out of pallets.
They have not identified the cause.