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

[imstilla.grandma]

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

Has that been verified anywhere else?

I posted a family member heard it but not verified by reporter.

 

[katydid23]

I posted a family member heard it but not verified by reporter.

Yes, I just now saw that in your post.

The newscaster said that word for word just now. It wasn't from an interview with anyone, he just said it as if it was truthfully what occurred. But I wish he had quoted an investigator or someone, so we could know where the info came from.

 

[Herat]

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

I wonder where they got that info?

There needs to be an investigation and only LE should be used as a credible source.

We've all heard news reporters make outrageous unfounded comments that had to be retracted. Especially as so many are missing and likely deceased.

 

[kaen]

Here is an article on the efficacy of propane cooking in boat galleys. I guess it is done with more frequency than I thought. Although there seems to be lots of safety measures needed, it seems that other fuels were more difficult to work with but have less disastrous consequences when failure or issues arise.

LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas, or propane) stoves have largely replaced alcohol and kerosene stoves on most new boats. LPG is compact since it is stored as a liquid and burned as a gas. LPG remains in liquid form when stored under pressure at room temperature (177psi at 100°F), and the pressure remains constant until the cylinder is almost empty. It has a high heat content, so there is lots of thermal energy in each pound. It lights instantly without pre-heating. And it burns with hardly a hint of odor, other than those rising from the tasty stuff one can cook.

Ah, but then there is safety…LPG is heavier than air and can settle as a gas in low areas of the hull. In sufficient concentrations, it can ignite and blow the deck off the boat. Since there is an explosion danger from propane in enclosed spaces like boat hulls, propane stoves must have safety devices to shut off the flow of propane if the burner is extinguished.

Here are some other safety precautions: The installation must be in accordance with ABYC guidelines. There are no shortcuts. Briefly, there must be a leak detector gauge, an isolated storage area, approved components, continuous supply hoses and an unobstructed venting system. Safety can be increased by using propane vapor monitors, solenoid valves and other optional but desirable devices.

Users must be trained to use the stoves (or heaters) correctly. This means shutting down the solenoid after every use and having the owner check for leaks on a regular basis. One good precaution, which can be taken every time the stove is used, is to keep the burners lit while shutting off the solenoid when finished using the stove. The burners should slowly go out, due to the lack of fuel. This checks the solenoid operation and drains the supply line of fuel. For more about propane safety, see the West Advisor, [URL='https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Safe-Propane-Installations']Safe Propane Installations.
https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Stove-Selection-Advice[/URL]

and here:
https://theboatgalley.com/propane-101/

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The sleeping area is also near the bow, engine and where diving gear is kept, adding to the difficulty of getting out quickly, he said.

“If there was an explosion in the engine area that could have gone right into the sleeping area,” he said.
UPDATE: 8 killed in deadly California boat fire; dozens missing


After signing the manifest and waivers in the galley, assemble your BC, regulator and tank in a holder bungeed to the center gear deck; weight belt next to tank
Preparing for a Channel Islands Trip - Worldwide Diving Adventures

 

[eucalyptuz]

A walk-thru of same/similar dive boat operated by fleet holder:

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If the fire was blocking access to the stairs there is no way out of the lower level...it’s wall to wall beds along two galleys

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Santa Cruz business chartered doomed diving trip boat

 

[Sleuth15]

The dive company website boat description says BARBQ on board.

 

[Dawookie]

I thought the same, then looked at the photo of the bunk area and just shook my head. Being quite claustrophobic I would feel like a sardine in a can.
I can’t imagine getting trapped down there with only one way out. Those poor people.

I've been on smaller vessels with small bunk areas as a kid and they were small to me back then and the one way out freaked me out a little bit.

My old roommate is a dive instructor here in Southern California and I don't know how he does the overnight trips like he does. I'll have to ask him if they had ever been on this boat

 

[mickey2942]

Daily Mail has an update saying that it was the Captain who made the call, and it was made while he was in the water.

In a chilling recording of the mayday call, the Conception captain can be heard telling a Coast Guard dispatcher that all of his passengers are trapped below deck 'with no escape hatch'.

'There's 33 people on board the vessel on fire. They can't get off,' the captain says.

The dispatcher responds: 'Roger. Are they locked inside the boat? Roger. Can you get back on board and unlock the doors so they can get off? Roger. You don't have any firefighter gear at all, no fire extinguishers or anything?'

Most of the captain's responses are unintelligible, except for the words: 'I can't breathe.'

I remember hearing that, the people were "locked" in? WTH?! Do they lock down the doors at night? Shudder! Great, a raging fire, explosion, you wake up, run to the door, and you are LOCKED IN!!!

 

[SoCalDavidS]

I still think an explosion of some sort is the most likely. If it had been a regular fire, I'm sure there were options available, even something like fire extinguishers, could have helped some escape. Sounds like it was much more sudden, and perhaps those who were not up top, never had a chance.

 

[kaen]

I remember hearing that, the people were "locked" in? WTH?! Do they lock down the doors at night? Shudder! Great, a raging fire, explosion, you wake up, run to the door, and you are LOCKED IN!!!

There are a number of links to the exchange between the captain and marine rescue services. He did not say locked in. In truth, the only person in the released transcript who said locked in was the dispatcher. Some have theorized that maybe the repeat was off and the captain said blocked in.

This is a copy of post 128 (my post) from the LA Times:

The LA Times posted this transcript of the call ('I can’t breathe.... there's no escape hatch': Dramatic mayday call from California boat on fire):

Man, around 3:15 a.m.: “Mayday, mayday, mayday! ... Conception ... north side of Santa Cruz.” (He’s broken up by static.)

Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach dispatcher asks position and number of people on board.

Man: “I can’t breathe.” ... (garbled)

Dispatcher: “You have 29 persons on board and you can’t breathe? What is your current GPS position?”

(Another man calls in who heard the distress call and is over by Anacapa Island.)

There’s some garbled space and back-and-forth for a few minutes as dispatchers try to reach anyone from the boat.

A frantic man can be heard:

“Vessel Conception! Vessel Conception! Vessel Conception!” ...

Dispatch:“Your vessel is on fire? Is that correct? ... Are you on board the Conception?”

Man: “Roger, there’s 33 people that’s on board the vessel that’s on fire. They can’t get off.”

Dispatch: “Roger, are they locked inside the boat? Roger, can you get back on board and unlock the boat, unlock the door so they can get off? Roger, you don’t have any firefighting gear, no fire extinguishers or anything?”

Dispatch: “Roger, is this the captain of the Conception?”


Man: “Roger”

Dispatch: “Was that all the crew that jumped off?”

Man: “Roger”

Dispatch: “Is the vessel fully engulfed now?”

Man: “Roger, and there’s no escape hatch for any of the people on board.”

 

[IceIce9]

From Yahoo News:

Bob Hansen and his wife, Shirley, helped save five lives Monday morning when they allowed crew members fleeing a burning boat to climb on their pleasure boat. But the California couple were soon overtaken by a sense of helplessness as they considered the passengers in the doomed vessel.

The crew members felt even worse, Bob Hansen said.

Sleeping on the top deck, they had noticed the fire too late to assist the 33 passengers below. They told the Hansens they had little choice but to jump in the water and swim toward a dinghy tethered to the burning boat. That allowed them to reach the Hansens’ 60-foot craft some 300-400 yards away off Santa Cruz Island along the Southern California coast.

Boat owner describes saving distressed crew members after Santa Cruz Island boat fire

 

[kaen]

I still think an explosion of some sort is the most likely. If it had been a regular fire, I'm sure there were options available, even something like fire extinguishers, could have helped some escape. Sounds like it was much more sudden, and perhaps those who were not up top, never had a chance.

I tend to agree. I would also think that the explosion had to have happened near the galley and stair case.

 

[IceIce9]

Marine biologist behind Santa Cruz dive company feared dead after boat fire

The doomed Santa Cruz diving boat that caught fire and sank early Monday off the coast of Southern California had been chartered by a local adventure company owned by a marine biologist — who is among the missing and feared dead.



Marine biologist behind Santa Cruz dive company feared dead after boat fire

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I still think an explosion of some sort is the most likely. If it had been a regular fire, I'm sure there were options available, even something like fire extinguishers, could have helped some escape. Sounds like it was much more sudden, and perhaps those who were not up top, never had a chance.

***So do I. It went sideways so quickly. With no crew members able to help others . I believe if there were any chance whatsoever, these professional and responsible staffers as we’ve read in earlier reports, would have helped whomever they could. They had to jump off so quickly. I shudder to think of the heart racing panic they experienced while trying to reach the Grape Escape.No wonder the good samaritans were horrified. I hope ample professional mental health comes in droves of trucks to help these affected families. God bless all the souls lost today so tragically. My God, please watch over these families and crew members.***




“When we looked out, the other boat was totally engulfed in flames, from stem to stern,” Mr Hansen told The New York Times.

“There were these explosions every few beats. You can’t prepare yourself for that. It was horrendous.”

Scuba or propane tanks on the Conception might have exploded in the fire, but that had not been confirmed, Sheriff Brown said. He said it was unclear if there was an initial explosion that caused the fire.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2019/09/03/california-fatal-dive-boat-fire/

 

[IceIce9]

Authorities say search and rescue mission will only last until dawn
California authorities will spend the night continuing to search for survivors, but plan to “make the unfortunate transition to recovery” in the morning.

“It’s going to be maintained a search and rescue effort until dawn tomorrow,” said Mike Eliason, a public information officer with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.


CNN.com

 

[SoCalDavidS]

Authorities say search and rescue mission will only last until dawn
California authorities will spend the night continuing to search for survivors, but plan to “make the unfortunate transition to recovery” in the morning.

“It’s going to be maintained a search and rescue effort until dawn tomorrow,” said Mike Eliason, a public information officer with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

I imagine the most likely is that most if not all the remaining bodies are in the sleeping quarters, at the bottom of ocean. Although I hate to think it, but there might not be any remains due to the fire.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Kimberly Gin, spokesperson for the coroner's office, said the agency was asked to help because of its expertise in rapid DNA identification.

Gin said when requests for mutual aid are sent out to multiple departments across the region or state, specific ones may be requested because of their available or their expertise in a specific field.

There are 25 passengers and one crew member still unaccounted for. The search for them will continue despite the expectation that they did not make it, the Coast Guard said.

 

[realanastasia]

I'd like to point out that this wasn't an "excursion" (like a scuba diving excursion). These were professional divers, as I understand it. It's a really dangerous profession (abalone is very profitable), but not usually due to fire.

Is there an MSM source that states this? One article linked upthread quotes a surviving crew member as telling their rescuers that a bunch of birthdays had been celebrated aboard the vessel on the previous evening, including that of a 17-year old girl who had been taken on the excursion by her parents, so I strongly suspect that the most, if not all, of the passengers were amateur divers rather than pros (though I’d not be surprised if there were a few pro divers on the vessel’s crew...).