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

New Posts

katydid23 said:
I'm wondering if the few bodies they found in the water, that had drowned, perhaps escaped through the hatch, early on in the fire?
Click to expand...
Later reports implied that the bodies had been burnt in the fire and were not immediately identifiable. I think it could be a case of mistaken reporting when the drowning cause was cited.

As to why four bodies were recovered in the water, I think you could be right in that they managed to escape via the token escape hatch to the enclosed saloon / galley deck, only to be overcome by fire or smoke there. The bodies then floated free when the boat sank.
 
Not a diver, but used to accompany friends who lived and worked in Marina del Rey when they would take various boats up to Oxnard for dry dock work. IMO, there is no where worse for a fire, than a boat. No matter what safety precautions you take, how you train, how many extinguishers there are...it's not an easy task to stop a fire on a boat, nor get out when there is a fire. Small, relatively enclosed space, with combustibles all over and accelerants for power and cooking. I doubt the folks below deck had much warning, and even if they did, it most likely spread so quick they didn't stand a chance. For their sake, I hope it was quick. :-(
 
Penelope said:
I was asked to join the store's safety committee, and the first thing I brought up was my concern about the one entrance/exit. Within a month, store personal created a back exit to the room. It wasn't ideal...

It sounds as though this ship had 2 exits to the sleeping area -one, the staircase that led to the galley; the other, some sort of opening in the ceiling that led to another room on the same level as the galley. That alternate exit wasn't perfect.
Click to expand...

Good call on reporting the safety hazard and it is a credit to the store management that they rapidly corrected it.

I think, however, that the store exit you described, though not ideal was still a viable second exit. If they needed to, a large number of people could rapidly escape that way.

In contrast, the alternative exit on the boat was not only imperfect, but it was not viable. In contrast to your emergency exit, no realistic number of people were going to be able to escape via the boat's alternative hatch.
 
Pacific Collegiate School is saddened by the tragic sinking of the diving vessel Conception over the weekend. While this was not a school-sponsored trip, our hearts and thoughts are with the families of the victims and those yet missing, particularly those of our students and parents on board. Thank you to the Santa Cruz community and others who have reached out to us to offer condolences and support for our school.

Please contact Santa Barbara County Sherriff's office for news and updates. Our school website will be updated with any further statements from Pacific Collegiate School.

Right now, our priority as a school community is to support our students, staff, and families in the wake of this tragedy. We have been working closely with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Santa Cruz County Mental Health Services to activate the School Emergency Response Protocol (SERP) in order to provide much-needed resources and a network of additional support to our school community.

Please respect our need to gather as a school community, to respond privately, and to care for our students and families.
Santa Cruz students, teacher from Fremont among victims of boat fire off SoCal coast
 
California emergency workers were using a DNA analysis technique primarily employed in war zones and crime scenes to quickly identify the badly-burned remains of 34 people killed when a fast-moving fire trapped them on a scuba diving boat.

That tool is primarily employed in war zones to generate results in about two hours. It is effective in identifying DNA from burned remains and bone fragments and has also been used by police to identify sexual assault suspects and by the United Nations in child trafficking cases.

Traditional DNA analysis techniques require samples to be shipped to a laboratory and take weeks to produce a match. In addition, traditional tools tend to fail when extreme heat damages tissue samples.

California investigators to use war zone DNA analysis technique to identify boat fire victims - Reuters
 
NTSB investigators converged Tuesday to Southern California to begin probing the cause of a deadly fire on a commercial dive boat that presumably left 34 people dead during a Labor Day Weekend scuba dive in the waters off the Southern California coast.

The investigators were set to interview the five crew members who survived the fire aboard the Conception that was anchored off Santa Cruz Island on Monday when it became engulfed in flames. They were set to review boat records to try to determine how the fire started, whether the boat was properly equipped with safety gear and whether the crew followed safety protocols.
NTSB Begins Probe Into Deadly Scuba Boat Fire
 
One victim of the boat fire in California that killed 34 people was a graduate of Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts, family says.

Allie Kurtz, 26, died after a fire started on the boat, Conception, off the coast of Southern California on Labor Day.
upload_2019-9-3_19-34-10.jpeg

After graduating, Kurtz moved to Los Angeles to get into the movie industry. She worked on marketing campaigns with Paramount Pictures, including the “Mission: Impossible” movies.

Kurtz later quit the movie business to pursue her dream of becoming a dive instructor. She was a crew member on the boat that caught fire.
Victim of fatal California boat fire was SCPA graduate
 
Five members of the same Stockton family were on the Conception when the boat caught fire early Monday morning.

Now their relatives are trying to pick up the pieces and get answers about what happened. A relative identified the five victims as Michael Quitasol, Fernisa Sison, Angela Quitasol, Evan Quitasol and Nicole Quitasol.

Dominic Selga, Fernisa Sison’s son, said the trip on the Conception started off as a birthday celebration for Michael before it became a tragedy.

“You know deep down that it’s true, that they’ve passed on and they were in that boat and they are not going to be found,” Selga said.

It’s hard for Selga to believe some of the most important people in his life are gone. All that’s left now are haunting questions.

“What were they thinking? What happened? Why did it happen? What did they wake up to? Were they awake? Did they even wake up?” Selga said.

Man Loses Five Family Members In Deadly Dive Boat Fire
 
Sorry for no photos of my second home, a 41 year old boat built in the same era of the Conception.
I honestly tried to post photos for you guys that may wonder what it's like to sleep on a boat like this.
But, I've searched this site for answers, tried to contact an administrator, but so far no direction.
I'm SO sure there's a way... but as of now, I don't know how to.
I will be offline much of tomorrow as, yes, I'm heading down to my old boat, as I do every other week for a fortnight.
 
According to reports I've heard, the 3rd level (bottom of the boat) was for sleeping quarters for guests.
The second level housed the kitchen and dining area. Which is where the fire likely started.

The third level (all going up) housed the crew.
This makes sense as the crew needs to be up top to see what's going on with the seas.
My question is, did the guests know where the fire extinguishers were?
Even if the galley on level two was on fire, several fire extinguishers should have pushed it back enough to escape to the top of the boat, enabling them to dive off into the water.
When I look at the sleeping quarters for this boat, I do not see fire extinguishers.
There should be very big electrical fire extinguishers on both exits from the sleeping quarters going up to the stairs.
If the fire kept them in their quarters to burn to death due to a lack of fire extinguishers that is horrifically tragic.
Really, none of the deaths of these people should have ever happened.

Also, on top, the crew should have had powerful fire extinguishers to fight back any fire in the galley and clear a way for the passengers to escape.
So, question. Did the crew have fire extinguishers and did they dispense them, or, did they just jump in their raft and desert their passengers?
BIG QUESTION. Was the crew partying?
Were they drinking?
Or, were they straight up taking care of the passengers who paid them and trusted them to keep them safe?





imstilla.grandma said:
There are new details emerging about a fire aboard a dive boat that killed dozens of passengers off the coast of Santa Barbara. Danya Bacchus reports, investigators believe it started on the second level.
Investigators: Tragic Fire On Dive Boat Started On Second Level

Click to expand...
 
I would think an escape hatch attached or going out to the hull(like a porthole) would be very high risk to cause the boat to take on water if it ever leaked.
Googling escape hatches..most complaints from boat owners are the exit (up top)takes on water. I wonder if that is why the conception hatch exited into a cabinet.

Here’s a photo of the hatch ( entrance) above the top bunk
Conception Hatch

Cabinet ( exit)
https://www.scubaboard.com/community/attachments/78cf6482-fa58-4518-b064-0c53299ee0e0-jpeg.538418/

JMO
 
Last edited:
My default assumption is that the boat was well equipped, the passengers were given safety information/training, the crew behaved responsibly and did not abandon the passengers without trying to save them. The reputation of the company gives me no reason to think otherwise or question their commitment to safety. If the investigation shows otherwise, I will change my assumption that this was a tragic event that was beyond the ability of anyone to prevent or fight against. All involved have my heartfelt sympathy.
 
Lilibet said:
My default assumption is that the boat was well equipped, the passengers were given safety information/training, the crew behaved responsibly and did not abandon the passengers without trying to save them. The reputation of the company gives me no reason to think otherwise or question their commitment to safety. If the investigation shows otherwise, I will change my assumption that this was a tragic event that was beyond the ability of anyone to prevent or fight against. All involved have my heartfelt sympathy.
Click to expand...

We say, “Plan your dive and dive your plan.”

I think this was a tragic accident that no amount of planning would have prevented.
 
IceIce9 said:
We say, “Plan your dive and dive your plan.”

I think this was a tragic accident that no amount of planning would have prevented.
Click to expand...

ITA. It seems to be human nature to believe that every accident is preventable and that if everyone had done everything perfectly nothing bad would have happened. That helps us to maintain the illusion (delusion?) that it would never happen to us.

Or we can be safety conscious and choose our activities carefully, while accepting the risk that bad things can happen no matter how careful we and others are. Or we can all just stay home.
 
Please allow me to add to this discussion.
People who pay a good amount of money, and their holiday time on a boat to go diving, are not your everyday persons.
They are strong, they are athletic AND they have spent many hours training for a dive.
They are anything but whimps.
If there was a way out, they would have got out.
When the names and information about those who have died in this awful tragedy are released, I'm sure that you will realize how special each and everyone of these victims were.
We have horrifically and needlessly lost dozens of beautiful souls.
This tragedy should never have happened.
I feel for everyone involved.
Friends, children, relatives, absolutely everyone.
Our world has lost some very fine and special people.
I grieve greatly for them.
Kali, married to a diver, whose father was a master diver and dive shop owner.
Just, wonderful people.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 159 more.
Total: 4,264 (members: 160, guests: 4,104)

Online statistics

Members online
160
Guests online
4,104
Total visitors
4,264
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
593,066
Messages
17,980,857
Members
229,012
Latest member
OnceAgain
Back
Top