The investigation into the boat fire that killed 34 people on Sept. 2 reached a turning point on Sept. 12, a day after divers found the body of the final victim and the U.S. Coast Guard finished pulling the boat’s remains from the water.
During a press conference on Sept. 12, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said that because of these developments, local and state officials’ role in the investigation will begin to wind down, and federal agencies will take the lead.
The Coast Guard moved the Conception from the water and to an undisclosed location where the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) can conduct its investigation into the cause of the fire, Brown said.
“Investigation into the cause of this disaster will continue for some time to come,” Brown said.
Although official findings may not be available for a while, the NTSB released a preliminary report of the incident on Sept. 12, and it comes with a disclaimer.
“The information in this preliminary report is subject to change and may contain errors. It will be supplemented or corrected during the course of the investigation,” the disclaimer stated.
According to the report, there were 39 people onboard the boat when it caught fire, six of whom were crew members. All 33 passengers and one crew member died during the fire from smoke inhalation.
The crew members were asleep when the fire broke out, according to the report. One crew member was asleep in the bunk room where the passengers slept, and the remaining five members were asleep in an area with bunks behind the boat’s wheelhouse. The Coast Guard requires boats to assign a crew member to stay awake to monitor ships at night.
The report states that a crew member sleeping in a bunk behind the wheelhouse was awakened by a noise and spotted the fire rising up from a compartment below. The crew member alerted the other members of the crew, and the boat’s captain radioed a distress message to the Coast Guard.
The crew members attempted to access the passengers below but were blocked by the fire. The crew members proceeded to jump overboard into the water and were picked up by a nearby recreational vessel.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the Coast Guard released a safety bulletin on Sept. 10 identifying regulations related to firefighting, lifesaving, and means of escape for boat owners and operators to follow.
Among the items listed in the bulletin was a recommendation to limit the unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries and a caution against the extensive use of power strips and extension cords.
—Zac Ezzone
