Oakland Fire: Why Did Building Inspectors Miss the Ghost Ship?

San Francisco Magazine Joe Eskenazi OaklandGhostShip.com Bay Area building inspectors describe protocols that leave much up to chance. And few satisfying answers. Some years ago, San Francisco building inspectors busted a man making biodiesel fuel in a Hunters Point warehouse without any licenses or permitting and without even the most basic of safety precautions. “We’re lucky he didn’t blow up the entire block,” recalls one of the inspectors on the scene. And how was this man caught? Si...