What went wrong at this EDM concert at Oakland’s ‘Ghost Ship’?
The building’s owner received a citation just under a month ago for hazardous trash and debris. People complained about illegal property. Pianos, art installations, ad-hoc installations, couches, beds and even RVs filled the place.
With no fire sprinklers, Oakland’s ‘Ghost Ship’ warehouse building was labeled a “death trap” just waiting to happen. On Friday night, ignored warnings turned into a horrific reality for EDM concertgoers.
During the horrendous blaze, at least 30 people died in the “dilapidated” two-story structure. Firefighters described the Ghost Ship as a labyrinth.
DJ Golden Donna was scheduled to perform.
The concert was an underground and unauthorized EDM performance. Organizers did not file nor receive a permit.
Officials now say there are nearly 40 bodies discovered.
The Los Angeles Times labels it as “one of the worst disasters in the history of live music in North America.” Ray Kelly told The Guardian,
“We’re expecting the worst, maybe a couple dozen victims here. There were a lot of people in this building and I don’t have an answer to how many victims there were.”
Derick Ion Almena, the Ghost Ship’s operator, lived in the Oakland warehouse, along with his wife and children. He’s currently on probation for receiving stolen property. He posted an insensitive Facebook post about the fire. He didn’t mention the victims.
“Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound…
“It’s as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope… to be standing now in poverty of self worth.”
Friends say that Almena laughed off previous warnings about the building.
You can check out below a previous video from a show back in July at the Ghost Ship. The video shows the adverse and dangerous conditions of the warehouse.
what an awful tragedy..
Maybe Derick can also laugh off 40 counts of manslaughter…