THE GHOST SHIP FIRE

In Dolan’s memoir, a mother examines the circumstances leading to a fire that took the lives of her daughter and others.

The author was awakened one December night in 2016 by the boyfriend of her oldest daughter, Chelsea. He couldn’t get ahold of Chelsea, a D.J. booked for a gig at an Oakland warehouse where a fire had apparently broken out. Dolan took the 45-minute drive to find the Ghost Ship warehouse in flames; the information she initially received indicated that Chelsea was only missing. Days later, she received the tragic news that her daughter, along with 35 musicians and partygoers, had died. The author grieved, eventually learning from media reports of charges filed against two men: the Ghost Ship’s master tenant and his event manager. She and a group of the victims’ families watched their trial unfold to determine whether these men were guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Dolan soon realized that a number of people’s deceptive and neglectful acts may have triggered the appalling and fatal fire. The author’s candid account takes readers through events chronologically, from the nerve-wracking days of not knowing Chelsea’s fate to the families’ outcry when the assistant district attorneys offered a plea bargain. She provides bittersweet memories of Chelsea’s eventful youth, including a trip to Japan when she was only 15, during which she lost her passport. Details are also provided about some of the others caught in the fire. The book presents an in-depth look at the trial: In straightforward prose, Dolan recounts witness testimonies and discusses a variety of theories about the cause of the fire and the reasons why 36 people couldn’t escape the blaze. While much of the blame fell on the men charged, this scrupulously detailed story also raises questions about the firefighters’ response (“Bowron concluded, ‘I didn’t see people banging on the windows to get out. There was no reason to use precious resources if no one…’ He didn’t finish the sentence and he was excused”) and the warehouse owner’s potential culpability.

A poignant, hard-hitting real-life tale of tragedy and accountability.