An Alameda County judge has ruled Oakland officials had a “mandatory duty” to ensure safety at the doomed Ghost Ship warehouse, leaving the city potentially liable for a fire where 36 people died.
Attorneys for the dozens of victims and their families, as well as reports by this news agency, have detailed numerous visits by police, firefighters and building officials in the years before the deadly Dec. 2, 2016, fire. Yet the maze-like Fruitvale district warehouse with a shoddy electrical system continued to house more than 20 people and host concerts.
Alameda County Judge Brad Seligman’s decision Wednesday pierces broad immunity afforded to cities to protect workers for failing to inspect buildings.