OAKLAND, Calif., Rabi'I 5, 1438, Dec 4, 2016, SPA -- Recovery teams have found 24 bodies in the charred ruins of an Oakland, California loft building after a fire broke out during a weekend dance party, and the death toll is expected to rise, authorities said on Sunday, Reuters reported. Sergeant Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, said two dozen bodies were located as authorities sifted through the debris-filled shell of the two-story building, which was used by an artists' collective. He told a press briefing that the death toll would likely rise in what fire officials called the deadliest blaze in the city's history. He said the names of the victims would be released "in the coming hours" after their families were notified. "In regards to the amount of people that are still missing, yes, it's a significant number, Kelly said. "We've given you a number of 24," he said, referring to the dead. "That number will go up." Only 20 percent of the building had been searched in the past 12 hours, said Melinda Drayton, battalion chief at the Oakland Fire Department. She said the origin of the fire had yet to be determined and the cause was still unknown. Firefighters have gone through the building searching the debris, "bucket by bucket," Drayton said. -- SPA 20:37 LOCAL TIME 17:37 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w283009