Overview
- Emergency crews responded to a small fire in the Oxy building's second floor on Tuesday morning that spread into elevator shafts and was later extinguished.
- After the blaze was put out, teams discovered several lifeless people in one elevator while access to a second shaft remained blocked, leaving the final death toll and identities unconfirmed.
- Prosecutors say six people were initially reported missing and that about 250 workers had been on site during the retrofit when the fire occurred.
- Two construction workers were taken to hospital with burns and a firefighter received treatment for heat-related illness; catastrophe-protection units, police dogs and thermal cameras were used during the response.
- The Oxy building is a major city-centre conversion project and investigators will focus on the renovation works and vertical elevator shafts as they seek to determine cause and any responsibility, while city officials pledge support for victims and responders.