Plea deals in ’16 fatal fire called lenient

OAKLAND, Calif. — Tearful relatives of the 36 people killed in a 2016 Northern California warehouse fire testified Thursday that the involuntary manslaughter plea deals the two defendants reached with prosecutors are too lenient, with one calling it a “sweetheart deal.”

The man who rented the warehouse and turned it into an artsy living and entertainment space, Derick Almena, 48, pleaded no contest to the charges in exchange for a nine-year prison sentence. Max Harris, 28, who collected warehouse rent and scheduled its concerts, also pleaded no contest in return for a six-year term.

Cyrus Hoda, the brother of fire victim Sarah Hoda, 30, said the resolution smacked of a “sweetheart deal” to him, labeling Almena and Harris as “culture vultures” trying to become San Francisco Bay Area arts players by luring people to a dangerous place to live and party.

The warehouse burned quickly on Dec. 2, 2016, during a music concert. Alameda County district attorney Nancy O’Malley said the two men had turned the warehouse into a “death trap” by cluttering it with highly flammable knickknacks, blocking the building’s few exits and failing to take adequate safety precautions before inviting the public inside.

Judge James Kramer approved the plea deal last month that allowed the two men to avoid life in prison if convicted at trial.