'Ghost Ship' manager Derick Ion visits scene of deadly fire

OAKLAND, Calif. -- (KRON) -- Derick Ion Almena, the operator of the “Ghost Ship” warehouse, visited the scene of the deadly fire that killed 36 people in Oakland.

Almena dodged KRON4 reporters as he was leaving the warehouse Tuesday at 4 a.m. Alemna did, however, talk exclusively with NBC's TODAY.

Former tenants of the building say Almena was the operator of the Satya Yuga collective known as the “Ghost Ship”.

“This is profit? The loss of mass life? I'm a father. I lay my three children down there every night,” an emotional Almena told NBC, calling himself the “father of this space.”

When asked if he should be held accountable for the deaths, Almena got visibly upset and started repeating that he is sorry and that he is not going to answer these questions.

“I would rather get on the floor and be trampled by the parents than answer these questions,” Almena said.