The Coast Guard has issued a safety bulletin following the California boat fire that killed 34 people. They are suggesting commercial boat operators restrict unsupervised charging of cellphones and other electronic devices.
On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a preliminary report on the fire that destroyed the dive ship Conception near Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day. However, it did not address the cause of the fire. The report did remark that three crew members said they were unaware of any mechanical or electrical issues with the boat.
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According to the report, all six crew members were asleep when the fire broke out. Boats like the Conception, which caught fire around 3 a.m., are obligated to have a crew member keep watch throughout the night.
The Coast Guard indicated it has assembled a Marine Board of Investigation to figure out the cause of the blaze. But it does not have to wait for the conclusion of the investigation to take “immediate and positive” action. Captain Jason Neubauer, chair of the Marine Board of Investigation, said:
In some instances, our marine casualty boards identify pressing safety issues related to vessel stability, the engine room or lifesaving and firefighting equipment. In those instances, we issue safety alerts or bulletins.1
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The recommendations stated that all necessary firefighting and safety equipment is on the boat and operational, that emergency escapes are clearly recognizable and functional, and that crew members understand their roles. The bulletin also said that:
Boat operators also should reduce potential fire hazards and consider limiting the unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries and extensive use of power strips and extension cords.1
Peter Goelz, former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board, told USA TODAY:
The intensity of the fire surprised people. If it was being fed by lithium batteries, that might explain it.1
Goelz says he’s never heard of charging stations causing a boat fire, but he was not surprised by the bulletin. He noted that on commercial airplanes, crew members have gloves, tongs and flame-smothering bags ready at all times. He added:
More than 30 divers spending a long weekend packed on a boat could have a lot of phones, cameras and laptops to charge. One survivor even suggested the fire may have started in an area where electronics were charging.
I’ve heard that a lot of attention is going there. Did they have a charging station of epic proportions? Were electronics stacked up? We don’t know yet.1
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Others issues are being reviewed, including passenger access to escape hatches.
According to the NTSB report, one of five crew members sleeping in the wheelhouse was woken up by a noise. He discovered a fire coming from a compartment below. He awakened the other crew members, and the captain radioed a distress message to the Coast Guard, the report said.
The report said crew members tried to reach the bunk area where passengers and one crew member were sleeping, but could not because of the flames. The captain and two others jumped into the water and swam around the boat so they could enter from a different area, but the fire still kept them from reaching the passengers.
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At this point they launched a small boat and picked up two crew members from the water. Then they went to a nearby recreational boat where they continued efforts to bring help. The report said:
Local Coast Guard and fire departments arrived on scene to extinguish the fire and conduct search and rescue. The vessel burned to the waterline by morning and subsequently sank in about 60 feet of water.1
The Coast Guard Investigative Service, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are supporting a Department of Justice criminal investigation into the tragedy, the Coast Guard said.
Long Beach, California based Harbor Breeze Cruises owner and CEO Dan Salas told the Los Angeles Times that the Coast Guard closely scrutinized firefighting equipment and emergency access on his seven ships during annual safety inspections this week. He said he fully supports the Coast Guard efforts.
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Thirty-nine people were aboard the boat for a long holiday weekend diving expedition when the fire started. Five crew members who were on the deck escaped and were rescued.
The victims included twenty-one women and thirteen men ranging in age from 16 to 62. Authorities have said they apparently died of smoke inhalation. Divers located the body of the last victim Wednesday. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said DNA testing was being conducted to verify identities of seven of the 34 victims.
Sheriff Bill Brown said the sleeping compartment was on the bottom deck of the ship and that the travelers were likely asleep when the fire started. He added:
This is probably the worst-case scenario you could possibly have. You have a vessel that’s on the open sea in the middle of the night. Fire is the scourge of any ship. … You couldn’t ask for a worse situation.1
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