Crew asleep when fire broke out on dive boat

All crew members were asleep when a fire that erupted aboard a diving vessel killed 34 people in what officials called a "major marine casualty" on Labor Day, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday.

"At the time of the fire, five crewmembers were asleep in berths behind the wheelhouse, and one crewmember was asleep in the bunkroom, which was accessed from the salon down a ladderwell in the forward, starboard corner of the compartment," the report said.

A crew member sleeping in the wheelhouse berths was awakened by a noise and got up to investigate. He then saw a fire at the aft end of the sun deck, rising up from the salon compartment below, NTSB said.

The crew member woke up his fellow crew members who were sleeping behind the wheelhouse. The captain of the boat radioed a distress message to the Coast Guard as crew members awoke.

Conception, a 75-foot commercial vessel carrying 39 people, including 33 passengers and six crew members, was on a weekend diving expedition when it caught fire and sank off Santa Cruz Island in the early morning of Sept 2. The incident claimed the lives of 33 passengers and one crew member, all of whom were sleeping below the deck when the fire erupted.

The five crew members who managed to escape were above the deck when the fire broke out.

The body of the last victim was found on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

"I am pleased to report that our coroner's bureau, with the assistance of our detective bureau, has now successfully identified all 34 of the victims, and has notified their loved ones of that," said Santa Barbara County's Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown during a news conference Thursday.

Brown said that traditional, full autopsies were not conducted on the victims, however, "examinations of all the victims were conducted, and some partial examination that involves medical procedure was conducted".

"Generally, our policy is not to do them in a mass casualty situation, where the cause of death is believed to be known and common with all the victims," he said, adding that smoke inhalation was the possible cause of death for all the victims.

He said the last victim recovered was found in an area close to where the boat sank.

"She most likely, just as everyone else, got into the water when the boat flipped upside down," Brown said.

He said that the Conception has been raised to the surface since salvage operations resumed Wednesday. It's being prepared to be lifted onto a barge and will then transported to "an undisclosed, secured location for further investigation".

NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy told the Los Angeles Times that the boat was required by federal law to have a "night watchman" who was awake and could alert others to fire and other dangers.

The preliminary report by NTSB, the lead federal agency for the safety investigation, said that initial interviews with three crew members revealed that no mechanical or electrical issues were reported.

The report said that there were two locally sounding smoke detectors in the overhead of the bunk room. The bunk room also had an emergency escape hatch located on the aft end, which also exited to the salon.

NTSB's preliminary report described how the crew members tried to get to the passengers in the lower deck, but weren't able to do so due to the passageways being blocked by fire and smoke.

"Unable to use the aft ladder, which was on fire, the crewmembers jumped down to the main deck (one crewmember broke his leg in the process) and tried to access the salon and galley compartment, which was fully engulfed by fire at the aft end and by thick smoke in the forward end, through a forward window. Unable to open the window and overwhelmed by smoke, the crew jumped overboard," the report said.

Douglas Schwartz, an attorney representing Truth Aquatics, owner of the Conception, told the Times that based on "current evidence and testimonials," he does not believe the fire was caused by the operator, the boat or the crew. He said crew members "acted heroically and did all in their power to try and save the lives of the passengers and their fellow crew member".

Several media outlets, including Reuters, reported Monday that federal authorities are opening a criminal investigation into the case.

"We are conducting a joint investigation. No criminal charges have been filed at this time," the source told Reuters.