Police are looking for the organizer of a Hamilton house party with more than 150 people

Hamilton's deputy chief of police says officers are looking for the person who organized a house party on the Hamilton Mountain with more than 150 guests as the city tries to stop COVID-19 from spreading.

Bergen said officers responded to a call at roughly 1 a.m. last Saturday.

The home onDolomiti Court, near Rymal Road and Regional Road 56,was listed on Airbnb.

"There were approximately 40 people in the area. By the time we'd actually responded and attended the scene, that had grown, alarmingly, to over 150 participants," Bergen said.

He saidthe people dispersed quickly without injuries upon officers arriving.

Airbnb 'deeply concerned' by reports

While no tickets or charges were laid, Monica Ciriello, a manager with the city's licensing division, said bylaw charges can still be laid for provincial regulation or municipal bylaw violations.

Ciriello also said the COVID enforcement team didn't attend because they weren't notified andlarge parties at that time are a police responsibility

Bergen also said officerswant to hold the organizer accountable.

"We are working with our city partners at by-law in order to go after not only identifying the organizer and holding them accountable, but also making sure by-law, working with Airbnb, will decommission this home from their platform," he said.

An Airbnb spokesperson said they were "deeply concerned" about the reports and deactivated the listing.

"The guest has been removed from our platform and the listing has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate," said the spokesperson.

The company is alsoin touch with the host to initiate a claim under its$1M USDhost guarantee, for when guests damage a property or the owner's belongings during a stay.