34 feared dead after boat fire

kappykaplan · Sep 2, 2019

Just saw this. Very scary!

Kings Gambit · Sep 2, 2019

Yeah, the LA Times has also put out a news clip earlier this morning. It reported that the crew of a sail boat anchored nearby said they were awakened (near 0315) by an explosion, got up to investigate and saw the boat ablaze, etc.

The commercial dive boat, the vessel that burned and then sank, was anchored close to shore in Platt’s Harbor, Santa Cruz Island. There is a small beach there were a “swimmer” might be able to get ashore.

shemandr · Sep 2, 2019

30 paying customers in a 80' vessel seems like a lot to me. I'm NOT saying over loaded but tight quarters for sure. I expect they didn't have much chance of getting out. Egress from most vessels is poor to terrible - including sailing vessels.

Jackdaw · Sep 2, 2019

Boats are like aircraft. They rely on adequate time for an orderly evacuation. Just like on a plane, if there was an explosion it’s not surprising no one got out.

Jackdaw · Sep 2, 2019

Here’s the boat and sleeping quarters layout. It’s hard to tell completely from here, but it doesn’t look like there’s a lot of access to that one area where everyone was sleeping. It looks like the only egress was through that one stairway.

shemandr · Sep 2, 2019

Woh boy! This isn't my field at all but I can't imagine any housing authority approving this for overnight sleeping - let alone 30 people. My former village, Greenport, spent a lot of time and effort to clear out housing for Central Americans which had better egress than that because fire code wouldn't allow it. I don't know about CG regulations but you need a second way to get out. And a one person hatch isn't adequate for thirty people. Somebody's got some S**t headed their way.

MitchM · Sep 2, 2019

according to the LA times, this commercial dive vessel met all uscg and state requirements including tough annual uscg inspections. the vessel was custom built in 1981 for the owner, a company who's one of the most respected dive boats in CA.

Kings Gambit · Sep 2, 2019

These boats for commercial hire, etc, are all USCG inspected at some regular interval. Not just for equipment, but also for structural features such the number and placement of bulkheads and I imagine hatches as well, relative to the number of passengers permitted aboard, and so forth. So, that’s what is, I think, meant by “in compliance.” But I’ve never been aboard a vessel of this size and type with more than one stair/ladder leading below decks to sleeping quarters—and I’ve been aboard several.

shemandr · Sep 2, 2019

There are tragedies that change "In compliance" rules. Maybe this is one.

Ward H · Sep 2, 2019

Brian D said:
"can you get back onboard and unlock the boat?" the dispatcher asked.

I heard this on the news. That's got to be a mistake. I can't imagine the quests would be locked in the sleeping quarters. I'm really hoping that the dispatcher heard wrong and the caller said access was blocked, not locked.
Very scary!

John Nantz · Sep 2, 2019

On line it can be seen that the company has two other vessels of this size that appear to be either, or almost, sister-ships.

Could be wrong, but it's my belief that a pleasure boat of recent vintage (mid '80s) is required to have an alternate way out. Typically that is a hatch over the V-berth on our smaller vessels.

Editorial comment: It is totally ludicrous that there was no other way out. Heck, if nothing else but to air the place out after a trip.

Skipper · Sep 3, 2019

Lots of questions.
Smoke detectors, escape hatches, fire origin, availability of extinguishers/hoses, evacuation/emergency plans, etc.
The crew apparently sleeps up top, outside of sleeping quarters. Nobody below with training.
It sounds like the boat was already very involved with fire when the crew awoke.
BTW I think the initial mayday call from the Conception bridge was brief, with the boat afire and smoke filled. It was only mayday and they're north side of Santa Cruz. The subsequent call from the Conception captain was from the deck of the Samaritan boat, after the Conception crew had been pulled from the water. That call included the dialog re locked hatches etc.

shemandr · Sep 3, 2019

When I had the H356 at one point I had a moment of clarity about the aft berth. Basically the only way out was the door which led to the galley and then up the companionway. If that door is blocked you are screwed. So I became very adherent to CO detectors and fire extinguishers. Nevertheless, You really need another way out. So my backup plan was to blow thru the flimsy aft bulkhead into the rear lazarette and out. If I had that boat today, and after this incident, I would drill doing that.

Kings Gambit · Sep 3, 2019

Skipper said:
The subsequent call from the Conception captain was from the deck of the Samaritan boat, after the Conception crew had been pulled from the water. That call included the dialog re locked hatches etc.

So, you could take this to suggest that there were access (escape?) hatches through which at least some passengers might have escaped had they been able to open them. The stair-well forward evidently leads up to the galley, which is one place where you might expect a fire to start. You would need (and expect?) hatches aft over the cabin area to escape a fire forward. However, deck hatches are usually dogged (from the deck side?) when the boat is underway. Why would anyone think to open them at anchor unless ventilation is needed below? Even if “unlocked” there’s a lot of gear aboard a dive boat that might inadvertently be put in the way of a deck hatch, etc.

Rick D · Sep 3, 2019

One report had that there was an aft hatch. However, with the explosion or sudden fire, I suspect no one below thought to find it and, as King's said, it may have had personal gear, dive gear etc. blocking it. I suspect this was propane related. Like the Sheriff said, this was the worst possible situation. All speculation on my part.

Kings Gambit · Sep 3, 2019

Lacking “ordnance” (explosive materials; e.g., military weaponry) aboard, an explosion and fire would likely be due to accumulated explosive gas or gases, such as propane or gasoline vapor, etc., that got sparked. Investigators (insurance) have traced explosion and fire aboard recreational vessels to propane leaked into a confined space and then ignited, for example.

jviss · Sep 3, 2019

"A captain sent a frantic distress call telling rescuers "They can't get off, there's no escape hatch" as a boat caught fire off the southern California coast."

California boat fire: Captain shouts 'there's no escape hatch' in chilling mayday call

I am flabbergasted that there is apparently no requirement for multiple means of egress on a boat this size, with this many sleeping accommodations, and that the only one led to or through the galley, the number one likeliest spot for a fire to start. The regulations are terribly lax, and I will be equally flabbergasted if there is no great overhaul or reform after this tragedy.

R.I.P. to all of the unfortunate victims.

I have declined to remain in places that struck me as having insufficient egress in the event of a fire or flood, including a dive boat in San Pedro years ago, and a basement restaurant in my neighborhood, also a while ago.

I've been on dive boats from Santa Barbara to the Channel Islands, and they can best be described as "cattle cars." My biggest fear was getting left behind; you had to check on and off the boat, but there was no double-checking going on. I wouldn't get on on again, I'd seek a much smaller operator, with a smaller boat and smaller group.