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JANUARY 23, 2017
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
GHOST SHIP FIRE STARTED IN ADJACENT BUILDING The defense team for Derick Ion Almena has received a reliable scientific report, a copy of which accompanies this release, indicating that the origin of the fire was at the building adjacent to the so-called Ghost Ship warehouse. Such should reasonably foreclose any criminal negligence charges against Mr. Almena. Recall that the ATF could not conclude where the fire originated. The reasonable doubt here is overwhelming. -Jeffrey Krasnoff -Kyndra Miller -J. Tony Serra
WasGhostShipfirecausedbyinadequateUtilityWiring?
Summary:
Theelectricalpowerintoabuildingisdividedintosegmentswithdifferentrulesandresponsibilities.If
anyofthepowerlinesaretoosmallthentheyaresubjecttopotentialoverloadleadingtofire.
Thefollowingdiagramillustratesthecomponents:
AistheUtilityTransformer.
Bisthewirefromthetransformerfeedingmultiplecustomers(DistributionLine)
CisthedroplinefromtheUtilitytotheentrypointtothebuilding.TypicallyaWeatherhead(F)which
protectstheconduitfromaccumulatingwaterinsidethepipeswhichfeedthewires(E)tothe
distributionpanel.
Distheactualpointatwhichthepoweristhendistributedtodifferentendcustomerpoints.Thismay
ormaynothaveameterinthepanelorthecustomermetersmayberemote.
Survey’sanddocumentsfiledwiththeCPUCmonthspriortotheDec2fireshowthattheUtilityhasa
deliberatepracticeofnotsizingit’swiringtoservethesizeofthePanelandnotinformingCustomersof
thisfact.
Inthecaseofthe1305–31stAve,Oaklandpropertythereappearstobeasinglefeedthatgoesintothe
buildingtoservemultiplecustomers.ItalsoappearsthatthereisfireaffectingmorethanjusttheGhost
Shipoccupiedsection.
Forthefiretohaveaffectedmorethanonesectionofthepropertyitmeansthattheremusthavebeen
enoughheatPRIORTOtheentryintotheGhostShipsectionforfiretooccur.Thismeansthepointof
overloadwouldhavetohavebeeninsomecommonsection.
Weatherhead
Panel
AB
C
D
E
F
1305–31stAvenue,Oakland,CA94601
Observations:
1) Noapparentdirectutilitydroptothebuildingsegment(GhostShipUnit)inquestion.2) ThereareTWOapparentUtilitydropstothecomplexasthebuildingsareadjacentandabutting
toeachother.
a. OneattheBoostMobileentrance
b. ThesecondappearstogotocenterbuildingviadroplinefromrearonDerbyStreettoaroofmountedWeatherhead:
TheBoostMobilefrontsideconnectionshowsaclearlyundersizedPG&Edropwhencomparedtothe
buildingserviceswiresemergingfromtheweatherhead.
PG&EDropwires.Undersizedwhen
comparedtobuildingwire.
BoostMobile-Buildingservicewires.
2x4/0copperwiresperphase.
Capacityof400Ampswithinthe
building
TheLinedropfromDerbyStreetissimilarlysmall.
Immediatequestionsarise:
1) Whatwasloadhistoryofthatbuilding?2) Whatistheservicepanelsizeofthebuilding?3) Whatistheactualservicedeliverypointthatfedthebuilding?4) WhydidMULTIPLEbuildingslosepower?
ThisindicatesitwasacommonfeedthatfailednotsomethingspecifictoGSspace.
5) Whatwastheinternalelectricalconfiguration?NewsreportsindicatedthatthepowerwasdrawntotheGhostShipunitfromtheadjacent
building.
OnsiteInvestigationandInspectionresults:
PrincipalandaprofessionalandlicensedprivateinvestigatorwithJDdegree
reviewedthesiteandonlineresourceson1/14/17.
1) Fireseenonadjacentbuilding:
PhotographsdrawnfromWikipediaPageonfireshowfirehotspotonadjacentbuildingDURINGfire.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54485353@N05/30595918003/in/photostream/
JuliannaBrownPhotographer
2) DroneimagesfromReutersshowadjacentrooftopdamagehttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-fire-idUSKBN13S0M9
Roofpeeledback
onadjacent
buildingandfire
damagecanbe
seen.
3) Pre-fireimagesfromGoogleStreetviewshowrooftoppoleextensionswithelectricalequipmentattop:Lowerleftisalight.Otherisunclear.
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7779913,-
122.2274976,3a,15y,131.32h,94.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slHj9lBefwTWPOmzG_BVkOA!2e0!7i
13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
4) PostFireshotshowfiredamagetoGhostShipbuildingandpoleandonelightwithscorchedfiredamage.Otherpolehasequipmentmissing.
5) Closeupclearlyshowsfiredamagetopoles.Alsoshowselectricalwireandinsulatingwirenutinplace.
6) Closeupofpolewheretopismissing.Showsthreecolorationsbands:blackasifscorchedattop,whitewhereequipmentwas
fastenedandremoved,weatheredwherepreviouslyexposed
GhostShip
Building
ScorchedLighting
poleonadjacent
building
Poletopwithelectricalwire,cappedoff
withwirenut,showingnewlymissingtop
sideequipmentandlackofweathering
Weatheredpipe
Wirenutcappingexposedwire
Blackenedpipetop
Unweatheredpipewhere
equipmentpreviouslyfastened
7) Thefiredepartmentcutservicewiresatthewhatappearstobethemainserviceentrytothesetofbuildings:
Analysisasof1/15/17:Theseimagesindicatethat
1) thefirewasNOTconstrainedtotheGhostShipUnitalone2) damagewasextensiveenoughinsidetheadjacentbuildingtohavethefiredepartment
removingtheroofthatwasnearbutNOTdirectlyadjacenttotheGhostShipbuilding.
3) TheadjacentfirelocationisVERYclosetotheverticalpathabovethepointreported1stfirewasseenbyAaronMarinasurvivorofthefire
(http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Survivor-who-jumped-from-Ghost-Ship-
window-10805005.php)insidetheghostshipproperty
4) thefirewasprolongedenoughandhotenoughtoburnthepaintanddamagetheconduitofthesecuritylight.
5) somethingelectricalwaspresentatthesecondarytube(taller)andthatitwasremovedpostfire.
6) thetopdiscolorationindicatestheremovedequipmentfromthetallertubemayhavebeenonfireduetothediscolorationatthetopofthetube.
7) ElectricaldistributiontotheG.S.portionhadtocomefromtheinsideofthesecondbuildingasnootherapparentpowerdropispresentontheG.S.buildingitself.
NewQuestions:
a) AsitisapparentthepowertotheG.S.buildinghadtocomeviatheadjacentbuildingANDitwasapparentthattherewasfireINtheadjacentbuildingdidthefireactuallystartinthe
adjacentbuilding?
a. Ifso,thiswouldindicatesomesortofinadequatewiringinthebuildingbutNOTnecessarilyintheGhostShipSection.
b) Whywasapparentlydamagedequipmentontheroofoftheadjacentbuildingwherefiredamageisevidentremoved?
c) Whatequipmentorelectricalroutingwaspresentbetweenthetwobuildings?Wasitatornearthefiredamageontheadjacentbuilding?
d) Didtheequipmentnowremovedcatchfireorwasitthepointoforigin?e) Wasthepointoforiginintheadjacentbuilding?f) Inspectionoftheelectricalpanelsisessential.Whatistheirconditionandlocation?