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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Divers on Wednesday recovered the remains of the final victim of a California dive boat fire that killed 34 people, as the U.S. Coast Guard issued a safety bulletin focusing on emergency escape routes, crew training and the charging of lithium-ion batteries.
[....]
The Coast Guard did not identify a cause of the fire in its safety bulletin, and the incident remains under investigation by multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies.

But the document suggests that investigators may be looking into the possibility that the fire was ignited by passengers charging electronic devices in the below-decks sleeping quarters and could not escape once flames were raging in the cramped space.

“A Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) has been convened and will conduct a thorough and comprehensive marine casualty investigation to determine the causal factors that contributed to this tragic incident,” the bulletin states.
[....]
The victims are believed to have died of smoke inhalation.

The Coast Guard bulletin recommends that vessel owners “immediately” review crew training, make sure emergency escape routes are clearly identified and unobstructed and that required fire-fighting and live-saving equipment are on board.

The document also urges crews to “reduce potential fire hazards and consider limiting the unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries and extensive use of power strips and extension cords.”

 
Heard a 'rumor' that the fire started due to too many electronic devices being charged down below and overloading the electrical system.

The Coast Guard did not identify a cause of the fire in its safety bulletin, and the incident remains under investigation by multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies.

But the document suggests that investigators may be looking into the possibility that the fire was ignited by passengers charging electronic devices in the below-decks sleeping quarters and could not escape once flames were raging in the cramped space.
 
Or, it's just a convenient way of blaming the victims. The boat operators know good and well that people are going to be loaded with electronic devices, so this is the sort of thing that needs to be handled before the boat sails. How are the passenger supposed to know what's going to overload the boat's puny electrical system.
 
[....]
The attorneys have filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of three passengers and a crew member who died in the fire. They are arguing against the boat's owners, Glen and Dana Fritzler, who filed a lawsuit in federal court to limit their liability for the fire. The Fritzlers, owners of Truth Aquatics, claim a maritime law from 1851 should lower or block all financial damages in the case.


That petition was filed before some of the bodies had even been recovered from the ocean.

"This was a heartless, callous act which inflicted further pain on these families," said attorney Robert Mongeluzzi, who is representing the victims' families.

Mongeluzzi and fellow attorney Jeff Goodman contend the ancient maritime law does not apply in the case because Truth Aquatics knew about safety hazards on the boat before it set sail. They say Truth Aquatics failed to provide night watchmen as required by law and did not offer adequate protections to prevent fires where electronic equipment was being charged.

"There are numerous ways that a responsible company can make sure this doesn't occur," said Goodman.
[....]
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by a specialized team at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Early on, one possible cause was believed to be lithium ion batteries that were likely being charged to power diving equipment like cameras and lights.

In an initial report, the NTSB found all crew members were asleep when the fire broke out. Federal law says somebody must be awake at all times on a commercial boat.

Attorneys for the families say Truth Aquatics also did not train its workers adequately and that the two exits -- one that was a small hatch above a bunk -- were not sufficient for 34 people to escape through smoke and in the middle of the night.

"In this case Truth Aquatics chose, through their design of the vessel, to have two means of egress that both led to the same place. And in this case that same place led to the galley where the fire began," according to Goodman.

They argue the company's employees knew that the boat was unsafe and that the captain should be charged with seaman's manslaughter. Seaman's manslaughter is a charge that can be brought against boat captains by federal prosecutors.

Two other lawsuits were previously filed by the families of victims.
[....]

 
California boat captain indicted in fire that killed 34
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The captain of a scuba diving boat that caught fire and sank off the coast of California last year, killing 34 people who were trapped below deck, was indicted Tuesday on federal manslaughter charges for one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent U.S. history.

Jerry Boylan was charged with 34 counts of seaman's manslaughter for "misconduct, negligence and inattention" by failing to train his crew, conduct fire drills and have a roving night watchman on the Conception when fire broke out Sept. 2, 2019, the indictment said.

Full Story:
https://wchstv.com/news/nation-world/california-boat-captain-indicted-in-fire-that-killed-34
 
Fine, "Full Article:".
not you what he was saying & the part I had read where the hatch was locked & remember the only time I heard that term in a sinking like this was on the titanic & apparently was used on boats coming from England that had poor below sometimes. They locked the Irish down below to where they didn't have a chance from various reports
 
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Family members of the 34 people killed in a fire aboard a scuba diving boat off the California coast two years ago have sued the U.S. Coast Guard for lax enforcement of safety regulations that they say doomed the passengers.

A lawyer who filed the wrongful death lawsuit late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles said the Coast Guard has repeatedly certified passenger boats that are fire traps.

“Had the Coast Guard properly inspected Conception, it never would have been certified, never set sail, and these 34 victims would not have lost their lives,” attorney Jeffrey Goodman said in a statement. "Sadly, certifying noncompliant vessels is commonplace at the Coast Guard. The time has come for the Coast Guard to be held accountable for its failures to protect those victims and prevent future maritime disasters on America’s waterways.”

A Coast Guard spokesman declined to comment, citing a policy not to discuss pending litigation.
[....]
The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the disaster did not find the cause of the fire, but it blamed the vessel’s owners for lack of oversight and said failing to post a night watch allowed flames to spread quickly.

The NTSB faulted the Coast Guard for not enforcing the night watch requirement and criticized it for insufficient rules on smoke detectors and emergency escapes. The board made several recommendations for the agency to improve safety aboard passenger vessels.

The Coast Guard, which has routinely ignored past NTSB safety recommendations, said earlier this year it would make some of the suggested changes.
[....]
But the lawsuit said the Coast Guard negligently and carelessly certified the boat despite clear violations that included an overloaded electrical system that may have sparked the blaze. It said wiring was not up to marine standards and included cheap wire available in hardware stores.

Because the boat burned and sank, no cause for the fire was found. But investigators said it began in an area where passengers had plugged in phones, flashlights and other items with combustible lithium ion batteries.

The lawsuit said the boat's fire detection and suppression systems were out of compliance, and the two means of escape from the bunkroom violated Coast Guard regulations because they led to the same place.

“They had two different ways to get out of the bunk room, but both led to the galley,” Goodman said. “When the fire's in the galley, how does that help?”

Family members of the dead have also sued the company and family that owned the vessel for wrongful death.

 
"The Coast Guard, which has routinely ignored past NTSB safety recommendations, said earlier this year it would make some of the suggested changes."

Recommendations? Suggested changes? WTF, how about REQUIREMENTS vs. "recommendations" and "suggested changes". Unfuckingbelievable - as a starting effort get some teeth into enforcement of requirements, and hold offenders accountable by fines, revoking licenses, etc.
 
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