GUILTY CA - Boat fire near Santa Cruz Island; 34 missing, Sept 2019 *captain charged*

[Kubirai]

Dive boat info

Cooking aboard the boat is electric.
The Coast Guard does not allow gas stoves.
The fuel is diesel which does not ignite easily.
The divers tanks are filled with air or Nitrox, no Oxygen .
No oxygen is stored for that purpose.
There is a small amount of Oxygen stored for first Aid only.
The charging station is behind the galley near the stairs.

Thanks for the regulations and oxygen info. I hope they didn't bring in a propane BBQ.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown says police have interviewed the men but didn't disclose what they said. No cause for the fire has been identified and Brown says at this stage there's no reason to believe it involved a criminal act.
The Latest: Surviving crew from boat fire talk to police

Sheriff Brown speculated that oxygen or propane tanks could have exploded during the fire, but there was no sign this sparked the blaze.

"Nothing in the [mayday] broadcast from the vessel... indicated there was an initial explosion," he said.
Eight confirmed dead in California boat fire

James Kohl, brother of one of the missing passengers, told KTLA TV in Los Angeles he was told there was a propane gas explosion on board but Rochester said she could not confirm that.
Eight dead from California dive boat fire

The crew, some only in underwear and two with leg injuries, had retrieved a dinghy and paddled 200 yards to the Hansens' boat.

Shirley Hansen said the men were distraught -- one had a girlfriend below-deck on the Conception -- and two of the men paddled back to look for survivors, but found none.
Eight dead, 26 missing as dive boat sinks in flames off California


The Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board have not identified where the blaze began. Aside from gas kitchen appliances, other potential sources of ignition include the oxygen tanks used to fill divers' personal supplies or the diesel fuel used to power the boat.

Greg Ricketts, a former manager with the Federal Aviation Administration and experienced open-water diver, tells USA TODAY he suspects the cause of the disaster was a "galley fire, making it impossible for the crew to reach the guests and the guests unable to evacuate."

A bunk layout map on the Truth Aquatics website shows only one staircase leads from the boat's sleeping compartments up to deck, and it is near the galley. If the fire began there, it may have blocked passengers from reaching the deck.
California dive-boat fire highlights need for more than one exit from sleeping quarters

 

[BeachSky]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...37a660-cd97-11e9-a620-0a91656d7db6_story.html


But Reid, who is familiar with the boat’s configuration, notes all divers sleep on the lowest level.

He says divers are not locked into that level but if a fire erupted above them it would be difficult for any to escape through a narrow stairway.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Live updates: Boat fire near Santa Cruz Island, California - CNN

 

[BeachSky]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...37a660-cd97-11e9-a620-0a91656d7db6_story.html


But Reid, who is familiar with the boat’s configuration, notes all divers sleep on the lowest level.

He says divers are not locked into that level but if a fire erupted above them it would be difficult for any to escape through a narrow stairway.

From the same article
This says “ a six member crew”
So one of the missing is crew.
I wonder if it’s the survivor’s girlfriend.



Police have interviewed the five crew members who survived a boat fire off the Southern California coast.
The Coast Guard says 39 people were aboard the Conception, a dive ship on a three-day scuba diving excursion to the Channel Islands. There was a six-member crew and 33 passengers when the fire broke out about 3 a.m. Monday and quickly engulfed the boat.

 

[IceIce9]

From the same article
This says “ a six member crew”
So one of the missing is crew.
I wonder if it’s the survivor’s girlfriend.



Police have interviewed the five crew members who survived a boat fire off the Southern California coast.
The Coast Guard says 39 people were aboard the Conception, a dive ship on a three-day scuba diving excursion to the Channel Islands. There was a six-member crew and 33 passengers when the fire broke out about 3 a.m. Monday and quickly engulfed the boat.

One report I saw said there was confusion about the number of crew on board, only 5 crew and not 6

 

[SandyQLS]

Dive boat info

Cooking aboard the boat is electric.
The Coast Guard does not allow gas stoves.
The fuel is diesel which does not ignite easily.
The divers tanks are filled with air or Nitrox, no Oxygen .
No oxygen is stored for that purpose.
There is a small amount of Oxygen stored for first Aid only.
The charging station is behind the galley near the stairs.

Thank you - great info. It's hard to imagine a fire getting so out of control. Do you think it was an electrical fire? The charging station by the stairs, maybe started inside a wall just like some house fires do?

ETA Didn't I read that they also have BBQ?

 

[kaen]

From the same article
This says “ a six member crew”
So one of the missing is crew.
I wonder if it’s the survivor’s girlfriend.



Police have interviewed the five crew members who survived a boat fire off the Southern California coast.
The Coast Guard says 39 people were aboard the Conception, a dive ship on a three-day scuba diving excursion to the Channel Islands. There was a six-member crew and 33 passengers when the fire broke out about 3 a.m. Monday and quickly engulfed the boat.

There is a man looking for his brother (a galley crewman and deckhand) who has been on many of the major outlets. I wonder if he has found him alive or this is one of the missing/found deceased.

"James Kohls was in Oxnard waiting to learn the fate of his brother, Mike Kohls, the gallery cook and a deckhand on the Conception. At 4 a.m., his brother, a lifelong surfer and father of one daughter, is typically making breakfast for the passengers, James Kohls said." 8 dead, dozens missing in California dive-boat fire, officials say

"It's very surreal at the moment," he told reporters. "They were going to let me know whether he was one of the survivors that got off."

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Coast guard officials said in a press conference Monday the 39 onboard included six crew members and 33 passengers. Four bodies had been recovered at the time of this report, including two adult males and two adult females. Four bodies found on ocean floor had not been recovered, officials said.

At Least 8 Dead, Dozens Missing In Charter Boat Fire Off Ventura County Coast

***If? If? A crew member is indeed missing, my fear is it’s the galley member whose brother says he works in there and is usually up preparing breakfast at that time. moo

 

[kaen]

Does seem like a good operator with an eye toward safety and compliance. This is so tragic.

"Coast Guard records show inspections of the Conception conducted last February and in August 2018 found no deficiencies. Earlier inspections found some safety violations related to fire safety.

A 2016 inspection resulted in owners replacing the heat detector in the galley and one in 2014 cited a leaky fire hose.

Records show all safety violations from the last five years were quickly addressed by the boat's owners."

Dave Reid, who runs an underwater camera business with his wife and who has traveled on the Conception and two other boats in Truth Aquatics' fleet, said he considered all three among the best and safest dive-boats around. 8 confirmed dead following California boat fire; dozens remain missing

 

[SoCalDavidS]

"James Kohls was in Oxnard waiting to learn the fate of his brother, Mike Kohls, the gallery cook and a deckhand on the Conception. At 4 a.m., his brother, a lifelong surfer and father of one daughter, is typically making breakfast for the passengers, James Kohls said." 8 dead, dozens missing in California dive-boat fire, officials say

"It's very surreal at the moment," he told reporters. "They were going to let me know whether he was one of the survivors that got off."

The mayday call was supposedly at 3:30 AM, so before the 4 AM time mentioned by Mr. Kohls. I wonder if he was the one whose actions started the fire. Not that he did anything negligent, but perhaps it just triggered something.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Thank you - great info. It's hard to imagine a fire getting so out of control. Do you think it was an electrical fire? The charging station by the stairs, maybe started inside a wall just like some house fires do?

ETA Didn't I read that they also have BBQ?

I posted an article about BBQ. Let me see if I can find it again. I think it was from the travel website.

I’m still looking but I must have skipped looking at this part the first time. Do ya’ll think this mean divers had to purchase and bring their own tanks on the boat?

“We will meet at the Santa Barbara Harbor on Friday night, boarding anytime after 8pm. Fall asleep with the Conception departing at 4am, Saturday morning. The boat will return on Monday (Labor Day) about 5pm. The Sea Landing Dive Center is located within steps from the Truth Aquatic vessels for convenient equipment rental (tanks and weights are not provided on-board).”
Labor Day Weekend; Northern Channel Islands - Worldwide Diving Adventures


“Conception was California’s crown jewel of live-aboard dive boats. It’s also where Glen met the love of his life, Dana. On the couple’s first dive together they encountered a 17-foot great white shark, truly a memorable first dive-date experience,” Diving News reported.

Fritzler told the paper his firm’s boats had hosted more than 450,000 divers and over 1 million California dives.
California boat fire: A Labor Day weekend diving adventure. Then disaster struck


Glen Fritzler Receives California Scuba Service Award - California Diving News

***I hope I copy this right:
CA - Boat fire near Santa Cruz Island; 34 missing

 

[kaen]

The mayday call was supposedly at 3:30 AM, so before the 4 AM time mentioned by Mr. Kohls. I wonder if he was the one whose actions started the fire. Not that he did anything negligent, but perhaps it just triggered something.

I don't really have any thoughts on who/what triggered this event. But, with the most likely place of a fire outbreak being the galley, I have to wonder how it could be that the Coast Guard, shipbuilders, company, etc never thought about the issue of poor design that is clearly was crucial in the death of these poor souls.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Dive boat info

Cooking aboard the boat is electric.
The Coast Guard does not allow gas stoves.
The fuel is diesel which does not ignite easily.
The divers tanks are filled with air or Nitrox, no Oxygen .
No oxygen is stored for that purpose.
There is a small amount of Oxygen stored for first Aid only.
The charging station is behind the galley near the stairs.

While the dive tanks are filled with air and nitrox, on average there’s 21% oxygen in air tanks and 32% oxygen in nitrox tanks. You can have as much as 50% oxygen in Nitrox. There are different percentages of oxygen in Nitrox, based on personal preference and type of dive. My DH is a diver and uses Nitrox. Moo

 

[katydid23]

Dive boat info

Cooking aboard the boat is electric.
The Coast Guard does not allow gas stoves.
The fuel is diesel which does not ignite easily.
The divers tanks are filled with air or Nitrox, no Oxygen .
No oxygen is stored for that purpose.
There is a small amount of Oxygen stored for first Aid only.
The charging station is behind the galley near the stairs.

I just now heard on local KTLA News, ---" it was a propane explosion."

Has that been verified anywhere else?

 

[Herat]

By all accounts this boat was in perfect shape, was actually a premier dive boat to use after a $1,000,000 remodel. And the captain and crew are highly regarded in the dive community.

I had read there were two stairs, fore and aft.

I also instantly hit on the words "onboard BBQ" Something about that needs some explanation.

 

[squareandrabbet]

Is it possible the captain said "blocked [in]", which the 911 operator misheard as "locked"? Because plaintext descriptions certainly sound like "blocked" would fit the scenario.

 

[katydid23]

Thanks for the regulations and oxygen info. I hope they didn't bring in a propane BBQ.

Local news broadcast, on KTLA 6 pm news, just stated that 'it was a propane explosion.'

I wonder where they got that info?

 

[kaen]

I posted an article about BBQ. Let me see if I can find it again. I think it was from the travel website.

I’m still looking but I must have skipped looking at this part the first time. Do ya’ll think this mean divers had to purchase and bring their own tanks on the boat?

“We will meet at the Santa Barbara Harbor on Friday night, boarding anytime after 8pm. Fall asleep with the Conception departing at 4am, Saturday morning. The boat will return on Monday (Labor Day) about 5pm. The Sea Landing Dive Center is located within steps from the Truth Aquatic vessels for convenient equipment rental (tanks and weights are not provided on-board).”
Labor Day Weekend; Northern Channel Islands - Worldwide Diving Adventures

=

Yes, I believe so. But, I thought they had the ability to refill the tanks (Nitrox) for a small fee. I read that information possibly on the company site.

From your link:

Package includes:

• Breakfasts made to order (ex. breakfast burrito)
• Scrumptious lunches and dinners (ex. homemade pot pies and BBQ tri tip… let me know if you have dietary needs or are vegetarian…the chefs make great marinated tofu!)
• Plenty of snacks and desserts (ex. spinach dip, and berry pie)
• Non-alcoholic beverages (ex. sodas, juices, milk)
• Unlimited air fills, unlimited diving
• Fuel Surcharge
• On-board Naturalist

"Optional Add-ons:

• Nitrox ($6/tank)
• Kayak ($30/day)
• Double bunk guarantee ($25/night, limited availability)
• Spirits (if you’ve got lots, bring a cooler!)"

 

[PommyMommy]

Marine biologist on doomed dive boat missing and feared dead off California coast: brother

Kristy Finstad was helping to lead the dive excursion that ended in a deadly boat fire Monday – and her desperate brother said the free-spirited marine biologist was still missing 10 hours later.

[...]

Finstad, 41, helped organize the trip with husband Dan Chua through the family’s company, Worldwide Diving Adventures.

[...]

Chua did not join his wife on the trip and was leading a separate group in Costa Rica, Harmeling said.

“She’s done this trip hundreds of times,” he said of the Labor Day weekend SCUBA trip.

[...]

“She’s really in touch with nature. She knows everything about the ocean. She’s been diving almost as long as she’s been walking,” he told The News.

[...]

In a Facebook post, Harmeling asked others to pray for his family.

“Please pray for my sister Kristy!! She was leading a dive trip on this boat,” he wrote.