Derick Almena and Max Harris have been arrested on charges connected to the deadly Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, a source tells ABC7. Almena was arrested in Lake County this morning and Harris was arrested in Los Angeles County.
A source tells ABC7 News that two arrests have been made in connection with last year’s deadly Ghost Ship Fire in Oakland. According to our source, Ghost Ship founder Derick Almena was arrested in Lake County this morning, while Max Harris was arrested in Los Angeles County. Thirty-six people died in the fire in December, making it the nation’s deadliest structure fire in more than a decade. Nearly all of the people who died in the blaze at the warehouse at 1315 31st Ave. on Dec. 2 were attending a dance party on its second floor. A recent lawsuit that was filed on behalf of the families of half of the 36 victims alleged that the warehouse was “a death trap that contained a maze of makeshift rooms, alcoves and partitions” and lacked a safe means of getting out. Several weeks after the fire, Almena’s attorney said he didn’t engage in any criminal misconduct and alleged that governmental agencies were responsible for the blaze for not cracking down on code violations at the warehouse. Officials will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. on the arrests made in the case.
