Safety Board Blames California Diving Boat’s Owner For Fire That Killed 34

Enlarge this image

National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy (right) walks with other NTSB officials past a makeshift memorial for victims of the Conception boat fire in September 2019 in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Mario Tama/Getty Images

National
NTSB Releases Report On Fatal Boat Fire In California

Because there was no watchman, investigators said, by the time the fire was detected it was too big for the crew to handle – leading directly to the large casualty numbers.

Investigators found that some of the passengers were wearing shoes when they died – suggesting that they were awake and trying to escape the fire. The coroner listed smoke inhalation as the cause of death for all who died.

Conception wreckage layout at Port Hueneme. (Source: FBI Evidence Response Team) pic.twitter.com/gqDaiaR3nE

— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) October 20, 2020

The bunkroom’s escape hatch was also too hard for passengers to use as a means of escape, investigators said: while it met regulations, it was still inadequate.

«I hate the term accident in this case because, in my opinion, it is not an accident if you fail to operate your company safely,» board member Jennifer Homendy said, according to The Associated Press.

The NTSB does not have enforcement powers. Instead, it can make recommendations for safety measures to bodies like the Coast Guard or the Federal Aviation Administration, which have not always accepted the board’s suggestions.

Court documents indicate separate charges are imminent against the boat’s captain, the AP reports, and other court filings show the company and its owners have offered to settle lawsuits with victims’ relatives.

National
Coast Guard Suspends Search For Victims Of California Diving Boat Disaster

• dive boat
• lithium-ion batteries
• NTSB