A veteran Oakland fire investigator on Tuesday described the methodical but ultimately inconclusive inquiry into the cause of the Dec. 2, 2016, Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 and cast doubt on the defense attorneys' claim that it was a deliberate act of arson involving Molotov cocktail-like devices.
Although the cause of the fire was undetermined, Oakland Fire Department investigator Maria Sabatini said investigators found no evidence of arson. Her team found no remnants of the glass shards or wicks associated with Molotov cocktails, which the defense has suggested were used to start the fire, nor did her team hear any witness accounts of the sound of breaking glass.
Jurors in the criminal trial were shown pictures of charred debris inside the Fruitvale warehouse, as Sabatini recounted how her multiagency team sifted through the wreckage by hand in search of evidence, such as burn patterns and accelerants, of the blaze's ignition.
Investigators concluded the fire started near a kitchen area with two refrigerators and a toaster oven.
Prosecutors allege master tenant Derick Almena built and operated the un-permitted residence and music venue with a willful disregard for safety, enlisting co-defendant Max Harris as his subordinate or second-in-command. Each of the men faces 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Sabatini's testimony, which is subject to cross-examination Wednesday, potentially rebuffs what has emerged as an important part of Harris and Almena's defense: That the fire was not due to the co-defendants' actions or neglect, but due to a deliberate act of arson. The defense has also sought to shift blame to the landlord and many government officials who visited the warehouse without flagging unsafe conditions.
