Ghost Ship defendants delay entering pleas on manslaughter charges

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The two men facing charges for the deadly Ghost Ship warehouse fire delayed entering pleas in court Tuesday.

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Derick Almena and Max Harris both face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter -- one for every victim of the deadly blaze.

Both suspects remain in jail.

Prosecutors believe Almena and Harris were negligent for several reasons including storing chemicals inside the warehouse. But defense attorneys claim the December 2016 fire was someone else's fault.

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"There's potential arson in this case. There's potential that the fire started because of PG&E negligence with respect to a transformer next door not even within my client's premises," said defense attorney Tony Serra.

Almena and Harris will return to court to enter pleas next month. Their trial could take place this summer.

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