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?