Oakland Fire: ‘Ghost Ship’ Manager Derick Ion Almena Defends Actions

OAKLAND, CA — In the hours after a deadly fire tore through an Oakland warehouse Friday night, killing at least 36 people and injuring more, the manager of the warehouse sparked rage with a Facebook post reading, “Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound…”

The post has since been deleted.

People who added comments to his post were outraged that Almena didn’t mention the terror of the people in the warehouse, the suffering of the injured and the devastating loss of life.

Almena rents the building, dubbed the Ghost Ship, which is permitted as a warehouse. He, in turn, rents space to people who live there and for artists to work. He was seen at the warehouse early Tuesday morning as he was interviewed live on the Today show.

He did not speak to local reporters in Oakland.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley is deciding if charges will be filed in connection with the fire. On Monday, she said those charges could include murder.

The building's history

City officials released documents Monday detailing the troubled history of the building. On Saturday, following the fire, the complaint history was updated with, "Firefighters said that some of the victims might have been trapped in the blaze when they couldn't escape down a makeshift one-way stairwell leading to the second floor that was built out of wooden pallets."

In October 2014, the same document states, a complaint noted, "Constructing house/structure without permits" that was deemed "Non-Actionable."

An open complaint reported by city planning officials on Saturday showed the city was told the building had been "remodel(ed) for residential" purposes.

Anyone with information that might be useful in the criminal investigation is encouraged to call 877-288-2882.

Timeline

The fire department responded to the structure fire around 11:30 p.m. Friday in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue. A rave was under way; officially the "Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour" was taking place upstairs.

Firefighters were met by flames on three sides of the building. Crews did not hear any smoke detectors going off when they arrived, and the building had no sprinklers. One man who escaped the building said he grabbed a fire extinguisher but couldn't get it to work.

The fire went to three alarms and was quickly declared a defensive fire, meaning it was too dangerous for firefighters to go inside. They sprayed water on the towering flames from aerial ladders and ground level. The building was still smoking at 4:30 a.m., five hours after flames broke out.

Additional Coverage:

• Oakland Warehouse Fire Latest: Names of 10 Additional Victims Released
• Oakland Fire Donations: 2 Official Victim Funds Established
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: 33 Killed, IDs to Be Released, Recovery Efforts Continue (UPDATES)
• Support Pours in for Oakland Fire Victims: How You Can Help
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Nightclubs Have Long Posed Safety Questions
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: 10 Bodies Recovered, Dozens More Deaths Suspected (UPDATES)
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Three UC Berkeley Students Among the Missing Says Student Paper

Victims:

• Oakland Fire Victims Identified: Coroner's Bureau Releases Names of 7
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Santa Monica Man Among Those Killed
• Oakland Fire Victim From Walnut Creek
• Oakland Fire Victim From Hayward, Coroner Reports
• Coronado Man Identified As Victim In Oakland Fire
• Oakland Warehouse Fire: Lakewood Woman Among the Missing
• Morristown Man Missing From Deadly CA Warehouse Fire: Report
• N.J. Man Among 24 Missing In Deadly CA Warehouse Fire, Reports Say
• Youngest Victim of Oakland Warehouse Fire Was 17-Year-Old San Francisco Student

-Image NBC Today Show via YouTube