The burden of incident command weighs heavy on fire officers even when lives don't hang in the balance, and for Battalion Chief James Bowron, the weight he carries from the deadly Ghost Ship fire is evident.
Bowron took the main stage Wednesday evening at Firehouse World in San Diego to discuss the crucial command role he played in tackling the blaze at the warehouse-turned-artist's collective on Dec. 2, 2016, in Oakland, CA, that claimed the lives of 36 people. The warehouse in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland was a two-story cinder block building built as a creamery in 1930 that was roughly 10,000 square feet. Steel trusses covered by wood sheathing made up the roof of the structure, which was converted into an artist's collective by its master tenant, Derick Almena.