Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office providing new information about deadly boat fire
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UPDATE 9/6/2019 10:00 a.m. The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office along with other agencies held a press conference Friday morning to release new details about the investigation of Monday’s deadly boat fire near Santa Cruz Island.
33 of the 34 people who were on board the Conception when the fire started have been found, and the remains of 18 of them have been identified using DNA analysis. Nine of the victims have been formally identified to the public, but the other nine will not be released until the next of kin is notified.
Those identified include:
Raymond Scott Chan, 59, Los Altos Justin Carrol Dignum, 58, Anaheim Daniel Garcia, 46, Berkeley Marybeth Guiney, 51, Santa Monica Yulia Krashennaya, 40, Berkeley Alexandra Kurtz, 25, Santa Barbara Caroline McGloughlin, 35, Oakland Ted Strong, 62, Germantown, Tenn. Wei Tan, 26, Goleta
The families of all 34 victims have been contacted to collect DNA samples. As of Thursday, 20 samples had been collected and more were on the way. The Sacramento County Coroner is assisting with a rapid DNA system used to identify Camp Fire victims.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff and Coroner said the cause of death of the victims appears to be smoke inhalation. There will not be a traditional autopsy, but an official cause of death will not be released until all results, including a toxicology report, are in. The bodies recovered were burned, but the Sheriff said he believed they may have died of smoke inhalation before they were burned.
Crews are still searching for one victim. They are working to salvage the Conception, and hope that they will find the remaining victim when they are able to access previously inaccessible areas. The Coast Guard said that today it is working to turn over the boat because it is currently upside down. After that, crews will work to raise the boat. Some of the challenges crews are facing include winds forecasted through the weekend that could change currents. When the boat is recovered, investigators with the Santa Barbara Fire Department and the ATF will work to find the cause and origin of the fire.
A memorial for the victims is scheduled for 6:30 Friday evening at Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara.
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UPDATE 9/5/2019 3:20 p.m. The NTSB held another press conference on Thursday with updated information about the investigation into Monday’s deadly boat fire near Santa Cruz Island.
The NTSB said it is focused on recovering Conception, the boat that caught fire, right now. It said a plan is being finalized, but a weather system being monitored could bring high winds that could cause safety issues for divers. There could be delays in raising the boat because the NTSB wants to make sure it is raised in tact.
A spokesperson with the NTSB also gave information about interviews with the surviving crew members. She said they have been very cooperative and described what happened early Monday morning.
One crew member told investigators he woke up to a noise and left his bunk. He said he saw flames coming from the boat’s galley and said the flames engulfed the ladder to the galley. The fire spread quickly, and one crew member broke a leg jumping to the deck but still tried to get to the 33 passengers and one crew member in a bunk room below. They told investigators they tried to get to the passengers several times, but the flames prevented them from doing that. The crew member who woke up said he did not hear a smoke alarm.
The NTSB toured a similar boat owned by the same company, Vision, and saw that there was a stairwell in the bunk area leading to the galley and an escape hatch in the back portion of the galley.
Investigators with the NTSB will be at the scene for at least another week. A preliminary report is expected 10 days after the accident, but a final report will not be released for 12 to 18 months. Investigators will be looking at the adequacy of safety recommendations, systems and the safety briefing during that time. The NTSB said it may issue urgent safety recommendations if necessary.
PREVIOUS STORY: The National Transportation Safety Board held a press conference on Wednesday to issue an update on the investigation into Monday’s deadly boat fire near Santa Cruz Island.
A spokesperson for the NTSB said the crew and others they have interviewed have been cooperative, but details of the interviews will not be released. All of the surviving crew members except for one were drug and alcohol tested, and all tests were negative. One crew member was not tested because that person was being transported to the hospital at the time.
Investigators also went to see another boat owned by the same company called Vision. They said it is not an identical vessel, but it is similar. They are also mapping submerged wreckage before it is moved.
The Coast Guard said the boat that caught fire, Conception, was not required to have sprinklers, and investigators are working to confirm when it was last inspected. Truth Aquatics, the company that owns Conception and Vision, is halting operations.
The NTSB expects to issue a preliminary report in 10 days. That will not contain findings. A final report that includes probable cause will not be released for 12 to 18 months.
Investigators are hoping to gather more information about the incident and asks that witnesses contact the agency at witness@ntsb.gov.
