Five people have died in a shooting at a Halloween party at a house let on Airbnb, police said.

The Northern California property was said to have been rented by a woman who falsely claimed her asthmatic family members wanted to escape wildfire smoke.

Gunshots were reported at about 10.45pm on Thursday at the large home in the wealthy San Francisco suburb of Orinda where more than 100 people had gathered, police said.

The home, surrounded by trees and up a steep driveway, had been rented on Airbnb by a woman who told the owner her dozen family members needed a location with fresh air.

A one-night rental on Halloween was suspicious enough that the owner reminded the renter that no parties were allowed.

The renter, whose name and hometown have not been disclosed, told the homeowner that her family members had asthma and needed a place to escape the smoky air.

A giant wildfire burning in Sonoma County about 60 miles north of Orinda earlier in the week forced tens of thousands to evacuate and fouled the air over a wide area.

Michael Wang, who owns the four-bedroom house, said his wife contacted the renter on Thursday night after neighbours contacted them about the party.

The renter said there were only a dozen people at the home but Mr Wang said he could see more people on video from his doorbell camera.

“We called the police. They were on the way to go there to stop them, but before we got there the neighbour already sent us a message saying there was a shooting,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle in a phone interview.

“When we arrived there, the police were already there.”

Though no suspect was identified or arrested, Orinda Police Chief David Cook said at a news conference there is no ongoing threat to the public.

“We don’t have any reason to believe that they stayed in the area,” he said. “We don’t have any reason to believe that they were from Orinda.”

Airbnb is “urgently investigating” what happened, spokesman Ben Breit said in an email.

The company has banned the renter from its platform and the home has been removed as a listing, he said.

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