Lindsey Pulse
UPDATE: Warehouse Fire Court Battle Ends With One Acquittal, One Mistrial
Max Harris was found not guilty of 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Derick Almena will be tried again after a jury couldn't reach a verdict.
LEARN MOREJune 6, 2017
Two men have been arrested in connection with the Oakland, California, warehouse fire that killed 36 people.
Derick Almena, who leased the building from the owner, and Max Harris, a tenant, were charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Almena signed a five-year lease for the entire warehouse. After he took possession, he lived in the building and rented it out to others. Harris was one of the tenants and helped Almena run the building by collecting rent and dealing with tenant disputes.
In December, the warehouse, known as the Oakland Ghost Ship, caught fire during a party; up to 100 people were inside. The space was home to over a dozen people who used it as an artists' collective.
City officials were already investigating the building for possible safety issues around the time of the fire. It didn't have a sprinkler system or clear exit paths, among other issues.
The Alameda County district attorney said Almena and Harris acted recklessly and that the consequences of their actions were reasonably forseeable.
The Ghost Ship fire was one of the deadliest in recent California history. The men were taken into custody without incident.
