The fire that overtook the Oakland Ghost Ship warehouse this past weekend was devastating, with at least 36 people dead. The manager, Derick Almena, took to NBC’s TODAY Show for a live interview this morning where he stated his apologies and explained that everything he had done “was to make this a stronger and more beautiful community and to bring people together.”
He starts his interview emotionally, asking, “can I just say I’m sorry?” He explains that the only reason he chose to do the interview was to put his face out there. As loved ones are searching for an individual to blame, Alemna explains his own thought process about how the warehouse was him “opening up his home” to those who needed a place to stay because their dreams were bigger than their paychecks – “I signed a lease, and I got a building that was up to city standards, supposedly.”
When asked about his management and the safety of the building, Almena denies the allegations and diverts by saying “I don’t want to talk about me, I don’t want to talk about profiting… this is not profit, this is loss, this is a mass grave. I’m only here to say one thing: that I am incredibly sorry.”
He continues on with the avoidance of the allegations – “I’m not going to answer these questions… I didn’t do anything ever in my life that would lead me up to this moment. I’m an honorable man, I’m a proud man, no, I’m not going to answer questions on this level… I’m not going to answer these questions, I’m just going to say that I am sorry.”
Government officials are currently looking into whether or not there is any criminal liability and, if so, to whom it should be contributed to. They are considering potential criminal charges for the case, which could range from murder to involuntary manslaughter. This will not be decided until the evidence is fully analyzed and they finish the investigation.
