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Ghost Ship warehouse manager speaks after fire kills 36
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 7 December 2016
The manager of the warehouse in Oakland, California where 36 people died when a fire broke out during a gig there last weekend has spoken for the first time about the incident. In an emotional interview on ‘Today’, Derick Almena said that he was “sorry” but did not accept responsibility for the incident.
Noticeably uncomfortable and shaken, Almena said that he had set up the Ghost Ship warehouse in a bid to create a place where artists could afford to live and work, and that the parties at the building had been started to help fund that.
Asked if he should be held accountable for last week’s tragic events, Almena said: “What am I going to say to that? Should I be held accountable? I can barely stand here right now. I laid my body down there every night. We laid our bodies down there. We laid our children down there. We made music, we created art. We opened our home”.
There are reports that the building had already been investigated over safety concerns, and that modifications and electrical repairs had been carried out there without permits. Although Almena said that the building “was to city standards, supposedly”.
As previously reported, fire broke out at the venue on Friday night during a show headlined by electronic act Golden Donna. A fire department spokesperson has said they believe that 36 will be the total death toll, though a search of the building was not complete at that stage.
Watch Almena’s interview here:
