Ghost Ship Trial: video shows firefighters responding to deadly fire

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The video is dark and mostly silent as the firefighter appears to be inside the burning building. There are no big flames, the smoke is thick and there are muffled cries it seems for help.

"This is the first time the families saw the video," said Mary Alexander, the civil attorney for some of the families who lost loved one in the December 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire.

RELATED: Witness describes what it was like inside Ghost Ship warehouse

It was an emotional 15 minutes for the families of the victims as prosecutors played a dark and jerky video from the helmet one of the first firefighters to arrive the night of the fatal fire.

It came during the testimony of Heather Mozdean, who was a captain with the Oakland Fire Department at the time. She and her crew were first on scene. Mozdean is now a Battalion Chief with OFD.

At the time, she worked at Station 13, just a block and a half from the Ghost Ship.

RELATED: Ghost Ship trial witness: Warehouse was like a 'psychedelic pirate ship'

"It's extremely emotional for them to see the moments when the firefighters went in and to think about their loved ones, their adult children that died in that fire," said Alexander.

"I looked at Derick a couple of times and it really made me sad because he didn't have any expression on his face. It made me mad actually," said Melissa Moore, a courtroom observer.

Attorneys for defendants Max Harris and Derick Almena argue the video shows that the Oakland Fire Department could've or should've done more to save the 36 people who died in the Ghost Ship that night.

"They essentially just watched 15 minutes of firefighter video of no lifesaving efforts taking place whatsoever," said Curtis Briggs, the attorney for Harris. "Essentially the video shows firefighters going about 2 to 3 feet within the front door of the warehouse, not every pushing themselves close enough to the fire to see the flames."

RELATED: First Ghost Ship trial witness lost daughter in fire

Earlier, Chris Farstad testified about how he managed to escape the Ghost Ship the night of the fire and how he and others tried to help the dozens of people who were still on the second floor.

"One of the ventilation ducts burst into flame," said Farstad. "We were holding the door open, trying to establish a beacon with our cellphone lights."

See more stories related to the Ghost Ship Fire case.