Deadly dive boat fire off Santa Cruz / Channel Island

[Ronnie]

This is now yesterday’s news but it’s only today that the media has discovered and disclosed that many of the deceased are from Northern CA, including but not limited to a high school physics teach and his daughter from my city as well as a family of five from a city nearby me. I heard dying by fire is a very painful way to go, I hope the decedents died in their sleep. The remains are so burned that dna tests will have to be conducted to figure out who is who. I just watched an interview of the surviving brother of the family of five, thoughts and prayers are going to be severely insufficient for anyone/everyone involved.

The search has been suspended in the deadly dive-boat fire off California coast

The search has been suspended following a Labor Day boat fire off the California coast, officials said Tuesday. Twenty bodies have so far been recovered. The victims were identified as 11 women and nine men.

www.cnn.com

 

[OrangeTJ]

Such a terrible tragedy. There are really no words.

 

[dzeppos]

Horrible. I am anxious to see what the Coast Guard says in terms of safety, procedures, and whether anyone was negligent.

 

[OrangeTJ]

My understanding is the boat and crew had a stellar safety and inspection record.

 

[Julian]

Terrible tragedy. Clearly the fire spread much more quickly than the crew expected. I suspect they thought they could control it and by the time they realized they couldn't it was too late to get people out. That said, sure makes you wonder why fire alarms wouldn't be required throughout a boat with sleeping quarters just like a hotel. I suspect there will be code changes as a result of this one.

 

[2kwik4u]

What a tragedy.

Anyone know what kind of boat that was? I'm curious how you fit 36 people on a "dive boat". I'm completely ignorant of that size/shape/configuration of boat, as well as how/when/where it would operate.

Anyone have information they can point me towards to learn a little?

 

[MattFX4]

What a tragedy.

Anyone know what kind of boat that was? I'm curious how you fit 36 people on a "dive boat". I'm completely ignorant of that size/shape/configuration of boat, as well as how/when/where it would operate.

Anyone have information they can point me towards to learn a little?

The boat was named Conception. 75' long.

 

[AZMark]

What a tragedy.

Anyone know what kind of boat that was? I'm curious how you fit 36 people on a "dive boat". I'm completely ignorant of that size/shape/configuration of boat, as well as how/when/where it would operate.

Anyone have information they can point me towards to learn a little?

It was a bigger 75 foot boat like the ones that do overnight offshore fishing trips. They have built in bunks/shelves that are very narrow and stacked 3 or 4 high on both sides of a narrow aisle in the sleeping area. Not comfortable but it’s a cheap way to get the average person out there. I can see how getting out would be nearly impossible if there were a hot fire in the entrance.
This is such a terrible story.

 

[MattFX4]

 

[MattFX4]

Looking the 2nd pic, it looks like one exit from the sleeping quarters. Sounds like a nightmare trying to escape out of there.

 

[Ronnie]

There were follow up stories on the news last night, a high school or middle school in Santa Cruz CA had several students and their parents aboard. The cost per person for the 2 or 3 day excursion was $665. There is a large memorial growing in front of the boat’s berth in Santa Barbara where the boat was supposed to return to by last Monday night.

 

[2kwik4u]

@MattFX4 @AZMark Thanks for the boat education. I wasn't get far with google this morning.

Only one "viable" exit from sleeping quarters to start with, then the second "backup" exit leading to a similar area. I'm guessing fire started in the galley above and blocked all exits from the sleeping quarters?!?

There just aren't words for this. So sad.

 

[Ratket]

Terrible tragedy. Clearly the fire spread much more quickly than the crew expected. I suspect they thought they could control it and by the time they realized they couldn't it was too late to get people out. That said, sure makes you wonder why fire alarms wouldn't be required throughout a boat with sleeping quarters just like a hotel. I suspect there will be code changes as a result of this one.

I’m sure California will be all over it along with a nice fee as well.

 

[Ronnie]

According to the local media, 17 of the 34 were from the SF Bay Area.

 

[Liveto99]

I would say they had a small fire and all passed from CO gas. Then the room got superheated as the fire smolders and starves for oxygen, when a crew guy opened the door from the top to go to the galley get coffee going a backdraft situation/flashover happened and the cabin all instantly went up in flames. The rest of them sleeping on the top deck got woke to a large fire ball and got off as a first response. Then once off realized what was going on but it was to late to do anything.
Firefighting experience and news clips just but just a hypothesis. But I hope it was CO poisoning best way to go if you have to.
R.I.P.

 

[Ronnie]

Here is a link to a news article on how the dive company owners just exercised a law which may allow them to limit their financial liability in relation to this tragedy. As an attorney, I’m not surprised as son, father, husband and friend I am saddened.

Boat owners seek to head off lawsuits after 34 die in fire

The owners of the dive boat where 34 people perished in a fire off Southern California filed a lawsuit Thursday to head off potentially costly litigation, a move condemned by some observers as disrespectful to the families of the dead. Truth Aquatics Inc., which owned the Conception, filed the...

news.yahoo.com

 

[zipper]

I have heard that officials are looking into the lithium-ion batteries for their underwater cameras and lights that charge in the galley may have caused the fire.