Global InformationGhost Ship warehouse fire information
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| Date | December 2, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Time | 11:20 p.m. (PST) |
| Venue | Ghost Ship |
| Location | 1305 31st Avenue Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°46′40″N 122°13′38″W / 37.7777°N 122.2271°W |
| Type | Fire |
| Cause | Unknown,[1][2] possibly electrical failure |
| Deaths | 36[3] |
| Non-fatal injuries | 2[4] |
| Accused | Derick Almena, Max Harris |
| Charges | 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter[5] |
| Trial | April 30, 2019 – July 31, 2019 |
| Verdict | Almena – guilty Harris – acquitted |
On December 2, 2016, at about 11:20 p.m. PST, a fire started in a former warehouse that had been unlawfully converted into an artist collective with living spaces (named the Ghost Ship) in Oakland, California which was hosting a concert with 80-100 attendees. The blaze killed 36 people, making it the deadliest fire in the history of Oakland.[6][7] The building, located in the Fruitvale neighbourhood, was only zoned for industrial purposes, and residential and entertainment uses were prohibited.[8][9][10][11][12][13] It was also the deadliest building fire in the United States since The Station nightclub fire in 2003,[14] the deadliest in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake[8] and the deadliest mass-casualty event in Oakland since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.[15]
Master tenant Derick Almena lived on the premises with his wife and three children, and sub-let the first floor to about 20 other residents who were instructed to not divulge that they lived there. In Almena's lease for the building, he did not say that it would be used as a residence, and on two separate occasions he told police that nobody lived in the building. The Alameda County district attorney's office launched an investigation into the fire's causes, and in 2017 charged Almena and his assistant Max Harris with felony involuntary manslaughter.[10][16] In 2018, both pleaded no contest to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in a plea bargain with prosecutors,[17] but the judge overseeing the case discarded the plea deals and the men were tried in court, facing as many as 36 years in prison.[18]
On September 4, 2019, the jury deadlocked 10-2 for conviction on the 36 counts of manslaughter against Almena, resulting in a mistrial, while Harris was acquitted on all 36 counts.[19] In 2021, Almena pled guilty to the 36 counts of and was sentenced to 12 years in prison and released for time served.[20]
In July 2020, the city of Oakland settled a civil lawsuit for the victims and agreed to pay a total of $33 million: $9 million to one person who survived with lifelong injuries and $24 million to the families of the 36 who were killed in the fire.[21] In August 2020, Pacific Gas and Electric Company settled a civil lawsuit for 32 of the victims for an undisclosed amount.[22]
- ^ Veklerov, Kimberly; Fagan, Kevin; Dizikes, Cynthia; Dineen, J. K. (February 8, 2017). "Oakland Police Responded to Earlier Party at Ghost Ship, but Took No Action Before Deadly Fire". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Archived from the original on February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
The cause of the fire has not been determined. But Jill Snyder, the special agent who heads the San Francisco division of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the building's "electrical system is part of the analysis".
- ^ Veklerov, Kimberly (June 19, 2017). "Ghost Ship report shows investigators found fire origin, no cause". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
- ^ Hamed Aleaziz; Kevin Fagan (December 7, 2016). "Search of Oakland warehouse finished as fire death toll remains 36". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ Dan Simon; Steve Almasy; Max Blau (December 3, 2016). "Oakland fire kills at least 9 at warehouse party". CNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ "Oakland Ghost Ship Fire Trial: Harris' Family Breaks Silence As Jury Deliberates Fate". August 2019. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (December 13, 2016). "What Happened, Exactly, in Oakland's Ghost Ship Fire?". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ^ Prodis Sulek, Julia (December 11, 2016). "Oakland fire: The last hours of the Ghost Ship warehouse". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ a b Kevin Fagan; Hamed Aleaziz (December 6, 2016). "Quirky Ghost Ship leader: 'I am incredibly sorry'". SFGate. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ Hermann, Andy (December 4, 2016). "Update: 100% Silk Artists Cherushii and Nackt Among Confirmed Victims of Ghost Ship Fire". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
times0708was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Thomas Fuller; Conor Dougherty; Julie Turkewitz (December 4, 2016). "Death Toll in Oakland Warehouse Fire Rises to 36 as Search Continues". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ Julia Prodis Sulek; Erin Baldassari; Matthias Gafni; Tracy Seipel (December 3, 2016). "Oakland fire: 24 bodies recovered from warehouse, search on for more". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ Kristin J. Bender; Brian Melley (December 5, 2016). "Death toll grows to 36 at Oakland warehouse fire". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
- ^ Phil McCausland (December 4, 2016). "'Ghost Ship' One of Country's Deadliest Building Fires in Half-Century". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ "Oakland fire: Dozens feared dead in club night blaze". BBC News. December 4, 2016. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ Sernoffsky, Evan; Veklerov, Kimberly; Fimrite, Peter (June 5, 2017). "Ghost Ship: authorities arrest two in deadly fire that killed 36". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Oakland Ghost Ship fire defendants reach plea deal, will avoid trial". ABC7 San Francisco. July 3, 2018. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ "Judge Rejects Plea Deal; Orders Ghost Ship Fire Defendants To Stand Trial". August 10, 2018. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ "Ghost Ship Trial: Verdict reached in deadly Oakland warehouse fire". Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ Neuman, Scott (March 9, 2021). "Man Sentenced In 2016 Ghost Ship Warehouse Fire In Oakland, Calif., That Killed 36". NPR. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ Limbong, Andrew (July 17, 2020). "Ghost Ship Fire Victims To Receive $32.7 Million Settlement From City Of Oakland". NPR. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
The city of Oakland has settled a lawsuit with the victims of the 2016 "Ghost Ship" fire that killed 36 people. The total settlement is for $32.7 million — $23.5 million will go to families of people who died, and $9.2 million will go to Sam Maxwell, who survived the fire with lifelong injuries.
- ^ Debolt, David (August 19, 2020). "Pacific Gas and Electric settles Ghost Ship fire lawsuit". Times-Herald. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.