Ghost Ship warehouse could soon be demolished

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - The Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland where three dozen people died in a fire on December 2, 2016, could soon be torn down.

Lead attorney Mary Alexander who represents the victims’ families said an agreement was made in civil court Tuesday to release the warehouse back to the building’s owner, the Ng family.

The landlord wants to move forward with demolition, as first reported by the East Bay Times, however, the attorneys representing the victims’ families said they want to block the ability for the Ngs to sell the property.

“The warehouse is an asset to the Ng family as they fight an expensive lawsuit,” Alexander said. “But the building is very unsafe.”

The warehouse has been under a preservation order to prevent the Ng family from demolishing the building to allow for additional collection of evidence. That work was completed a couple of months ago, Alexander said. Additionally, she said the families are okay with demolition.

KTVU tracks down Ghost Ship building owner

Building owner Chor Ng, daughter Eva Ng and son Kai Ng are all named as defendants in the civil suit. They applied for demolition over the summer, however, according to city spokesperson Karen Boyd, the family will have to reapply for a new permit because of an address error in the original application.

The warehouse sits on 31st Avenue just off of International Boulevard and even if it is raised, there are potential plans for a permanent memorial on the site. The details are still being worked out but according to attorneys the Ngs have agreed to it ‘in principal.’