Flames blocked escape for 34 scuba divers on boat

SANTA BARBARA, California - Flames roared through a boat of sleeping scuba divers so quickly that it appears none of the 34 people below deck could escape, authorities said on Tuesday, as they ended their search without finding any more survivors of the Labor Day tragedy off the Southern California coast.

Still unknown is what started the fire on Monday aboard the Conception, which was carrying scuba diving enthusiasts on a three-day excursion. It spread rapidly and flames blocked both exits from the lower deck, where passengers and one crew member were sleeping in tight quarters, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.

The captain and four crew members awake on the upper decks jumped off the bow of the vessel, swam to an inflatable boat at the stern and steered it to a ship anchored nearby. Authorities have interviewed these survivors, but haven't said what efforts they made to help the 34 people trapped aboard before abandoning ship.