Updated: Dec. 5, 11:00 a.m. ET

As investigators continue the painstaking process of pickingthrough the rubble of a warehouse in Oakland that erupted into fireon Friday night during an underground dance party, ata briefing on Monday morning (Dec. 5), Alameda CountySheriff's Office spokesperson Deputy Tya Modste said the deathtoll in the incident had climbed to 36.

“We have located and recovered 36 victims,” Modste said. “Of the36, 11 have been positively identified and their family membershave been appropriately identified,” she said. The list of names ofthe dead was not updated at the press conference.

Identified where fire started

Oakland Fire Department spokesperson Chief Teresa DeLoachReed added that her department was asked by the ATF and localinvestigators to halt their recovery work in the back of thebuilding at 10 p.m. PT on Sunday based on their belief that theyhave identified the section of the building where the fire started.That investigative team was expected to begin their probe of thesuspected area on Monday morning in an effort to determine theorigin of the deadly blaze.

(Source: YouTube)

She also noted that after detecting on Sunday night that thefront wall of the building was leaning in, a full work stoppage wasput in place to protect the lives of fire and police crews on site,an action that halted the efforts to recover additional victims'bodies. Structural engineers were expected on site on Mondaymorning to develop a plan to shore up the building in order to getthe body recovery efforts back on track. “We hope thatwe'll be back in the building between 12 o'clock and two o'clocktoday to continue the recovery effort,” she said.

DeLoach Reed said that officials have now searched 70 percent ofthe building area, but that “we are no closer to finding a cause[of the fire] and we absolutely believe that the number offire fatalities will increase.” On Sunday, Oakland major MayorLibby Schaaf said she had “activated the criminal investigationteam” following one of the deadliest structure fires in the UnitedStates in the last decade. A relief fund for victims of thetragic event has raised more than $100,000.

More photos…

A firefighters walks on the roof of a smoldering buildingafter a fire tore through a warehouse party early Saturday, Dec. 3,2016 in Oakland. Oakland fire chief Teresa Deloche-Reed saidmany people were unaccounted for as of Saturday morning andauthorities were working to verify who was in the clutteredwarehouse when the fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. Friday. (APPhoto/Josh Edelson)

A criminal investigation has now been activated as aprecaution, though no further details have been revealed. Thedistrict attorney's office is on-site, cooperating with otheragencies.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms andExplosives (ATF) is on-site assisting, offering labservices from experts and scientists.

Origin of fire unknown

Alameda County Sheriff Ray Kelly told reporters that partof the delay in releasing names, aside from time to notify family,is that some victims are transgendered. Officials are working withthe families and transgender organizations to ensure they properlyannounce victim's names and correct gender. Some bodies have beeneasy to ID, while others will likely require DNA tests and dentalrecords, which could take weeks.

Firefighters clear an entry to a smoldering building after afire tore through a warehouse party early Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 inOakland. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson)

Maze-like converted warehouse

The converted warehouse was known as the “Ghost Ship” and hasbeen described as a maze-like warren of artist studios. Accordingto a statement, on Nov. 13 the city received complaints ofblight and unpermitted interior construction at the building, andfour days later a building inspector visited the property andverified the complaint but could not gain access to thebuilding to confirm it. The investigation is ongoing.

Fire Chief Melinda Drayton called the fire the most deadlyin her 19-year career, adding that the mood among her team issomber.

“This is the most deadly fire in Oakland's fire history that I'maware of, I've been in for 19 years and consider myself a veteran,”she says. “It is tragic to watch so many people perish from a firefatality in front of your eyes and have to be stoic in yourjob.”

Drayton says the excavation is being carried out “literallybucket by bucket in a methodical, thoughtful, mindful, andcompassionate way.” She anticipates at least a few more days usingthe same approach. “This will be a long and arduous process,”Drayton says.

Firefighters assess the scene where a deadly fire torethrough a late-night electronic music party in a warehouse inOakland, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016. Officials described thescene inside the warehouse, which had been illegally converted intoartist studios, as a death trap that made it impossible for manypartygoers to escape the Friday night fire. (AP Photo/JoshEdelson)

Cleanup continues at the scene of a warehouse fire, Sunday,Dec. 4, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio JoseSanchez)

Video image provided by KGO-TV shows the Ghost Shipwarehouse after the fire in Oakland, Calif. (KGO-TV viaAP)

Sol Rodriguez, center, and Aaron Torres visit a shrine forthe victims of a warehouse fire near the site Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016,in Oakland, Calif. The death toll was expected to rise, as crewsusing buckets and shovels slowly made their way through thebuilding, finding victims where they least expected them, AlamedaCounty Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly said. (AP Photo/Marcio JoseSanchez)

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