Chelmsford native still missing after Oakland warehouse fire

A Chelmsford native and former Boston resident is among dozens still missing after a fire ripped through an electronic dance music party at an Oakland warehouse Friday.

Amanda Kershaw, 34, moved to San Francisco with her husband eight years ago and had not been heard from since she attended the party at the warehouse known as the Ghost Ship this weekend, Wicked Local confirmed.

“We are all praying for a miracle and coming together as a family,” Kershaw’s mother, Linda Smith Regan, of Chelmsford, told the Sentinel & Enterprise.

The fire, which ripped through the illegally-converted artist space, had claimed 36 lives as of Monday afternoon, but authorities warned the death toll would likely continue to rise. Eleven victims have so far been identified, but not all of their names have been released.

Kershaw is a 2000 graduate of Chelmsford High School and graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2004. She then lived in Boston before moving to San Francisco in 2008, according to reports.

Kershaw’s husband said the fire occurred eight years to the day the couple had moved to their California home from Massachusetts and said Kershaw had made herself an invaluable member of the San Francisco community.

“She is a universally loved and cherished member of the Bay Area dance community,” he told Wicked Local. “She is one of those ultra-rare people that enchants everyone she meets with a shining bright personality, infectious laugh, zero pretense, and just the right amount of witty snark. “

On Facebook, friends described the photographer and event promoter, who goes by Amanda Allen on social media,as a smart, talented and fun-loving woman.

“She was a college classmate and had so many wonderful qualities. I loved listening to her radio show and dancing while getting ready to go out,” Nicole Romiglio wrote. “Hoping her family and close friends get some answers soon.”