2 arrested on manslaughter charges related to Oakland fire that killed 36

(Image credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

published 5 June 2017

Two people have been arrested in relation to the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland last year that killed 36 people, The Mercury News reports. Both the master tenant, Derick Almena, and warehouse tenant, Max Harris, have reportedly been arrested on 36 charges of manslaughter.

Three dozen people died in the fire in December of last year after the upstairs level of the Ghost Ship warehouse caught fire during a dance party. Attendees were unable to escape because the main, makeshift staircase was built from wood pallets.

Ghost Ship had been zoned only as a warehouse, but was a home or workspace to many artists. Many residents and visitors noted that Ghost Ship's tangles of electrical cables and flammable decorations made the space a "death trap." Records show that police, firefighters, zoning enforcement, and building inspectors all interacted with the collective over the years, but none took steps to shut it down.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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