Testimony continued Wednesday in the trial of two men, each charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in a 2016 blaze that overcame an Oakland warehouse known as the Ghost Ship, with one witness testifying about his efforts to get others to flee the blaze.
Prosecutors say the defendants — Ghost Ship master tenant Derick Almena and Max Harris, who has been described as a creative director or second-in-command — illegally converted the building into a residential art space and stuffed it from floor to ceiling with flammable building components, art and other materials and didn’t install proper safety measures like fire alarms, sprinklers and well-lit exits.
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The Ghost Ship warehouse caught fire on Dec. 2, 2016, killing 36, including one resident and 35 people who were there for an electronic music event.
Chris Farstad, who said he arrived with a friend at about 11:00 p.m. the night of the fire to see the performance, testified first on Wednesday. He said that while exiting a restroom sometime after entering the warehouse, he first heard verbal warnings about a fire and could see that smoke was present but not billowing.
Farstad testified he ran up to the second floor where performances were set to happen and warned people there. He said he was there for about 15 seconds before fleeing outside through the front door. He said from the time he first became aware of the fire to the time he first fled the building was between one to one-and-a-half minutes.
Farstad said he re-entered the warehouse to try to warn others, but quickly realized it wouldn’t be possible to stay “based on the nature of the fire.” He described the fire as being “very loud” and like “being inside a giant campfire” with all of the crackling sounds.
Asked by Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Autrey James if he recalled hearing or seeing smoke alarms, Farstad replied he hadn’t. When asked if he recalled seeing sprinklers, Farstad testified he recalled there being water in the air when he returned to the warehouse the second time, but said it could have been a burst pipe.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Tyler Smith, who represents Harris, asked Farstad if the stairs connecting the first and second floors toward the front of the building could be easily seen from the top floor. Farstad said it was a “straight shot” from the concert area to the stairs and it wasn’t confusing to get outside through the front door after descending them.
Smith also asked if Farstad could determine the source of the smoke, to which he said it was obviously coming from the back.
Brian Getz, one of the defense attorneys representing Almena, asked Farstad about his efforts after he fled the building. Farstad said he and a few others had also tried to enter through a side entrance but couldn’t because of the intensity of the smoke.
The defense said during opening testimony that at least three witnesses will testify the fire was started by arson, and that several people were seen fleeing the building just prior to the start of the fire. They said witnesses will testify there was a scuffle or fight, and that they heard the sound of breaking glass.
Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Heather Mozdean, who was working as a fire captain on the night of the fire, testified that her crew at Station 13 located about a block away had gotten to the fire “very quickly.”
Mozdean told Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Casey Bates her crew was on the scene before the full dispatch notification was even completed. The Engine 13 fire crew was the first on the scene.
She described the smoke as dark gray, with “high volume” and “high velocity,” which indicated “it was a significant fire.”
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson also told the jury Wednesday that she expected testimony to wrap up in mid to late July.
This post will be updated.
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