Officials: 34 presumed dead after fire on scuba diving boat

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Stefanie Dazio
Associated Press, Los Angeles
sdazio@ap.org
Twitter: @steffdaz

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(213) 215-3985 Mobile — [cid:22CDA842-DA91-4FBF-97BB-D9E11F721F29] Sent from my iPhone Stefanie Dazio Associated Press, Los Angeles sdazio@ap.org Twitter: @steffdaz 221 S. Figueroa St., Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 346-3831 Office (213) 215-3985 Mobile [cid:22CDA842-DA91-4FBF-97BB-D9E11F721F29] Sent from my iPhone Stefanie Dazio Associated Press, Los Angeles sdazio@ap.org Twitter: @steffdaz 221 S. Figueroa St., Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 346-3831 Office (213) 215-3985 Mobile

By Associated Press September 3, 2019 5 min read

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Scuba boat fire

Local law enforcement along with search and rescue teams walk down a dock at Santa Barbara Harbor to help retrieve bodies of those who died in a diving boat fire. A fire raged through a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an isalnd off the Southern California coast early Monday, Sept. 2, leaving multiple people dead and hope diminishing that any of the remaining people still missing would be found alive. (Photo by Christian Monterrosa / AP)

Local law enforcement along with search and rescue teams help unload the bodies of those who died in a diving boat fire. A fire raged through a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an isalnd off the Southern California coast early Monday, Sept. 2, leaving multiple people dead and hope diminishing that any of the remaining people still missing would be found alive. (Photo by Christian Monterrosa / AP)

Local fire officials along with search and rescue teams walk off the dock after unloading the bodies of those who died in a diving boat fire. A fire raged through a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an isalnd off the Southern California coast early Monday, Sept. 2, leaving multiple people dead and hope diminishing that any of the remaining people still missing would be found alive. (Photo by Christian Monterrosa / AP)

Local law enforcement and coroners work to retrieve the bodies found by diving teams. A fire raged through a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an isalnd off the Southern California coast early Monday, Sept. 2, leaving multiple people dead and hope diminishing that any of the remaining people still missing would be found alive. (Photo by Christian Monterrosa / AP)

Divers with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Dive Team prepare for a second day of searching on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019 in Santa Barbara, Calif. A fire raged through a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an island off the Southern California Coast on Monday, Sept. 2, leaving multiple people dead and little hope that any of the people still missing would be found alive. (AP Photo by Christian Monterrosa )

Divers with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Dive Team prepare to search for a second day for missing people following a dive boat fire off Southern California's coast that killed dozens sleeping below deck, in Santa Barbara, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019. (AP Photo by Christian Monterrosa )

Divers with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Dive Team prepare for a second day of searching for those still missing in Monday's fire on a dive boat, on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019 in Santa Barbara, Calif. A fire raged through a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an island off the Southern California Coast on Monday, Sept. 2, leaving multiple people dead and little hope that any of the people still missing would be found alive. (AP Photo by Christian Monterrosa )

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown addresses the media outside the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's headquarters in Santa Barbara, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019. Officials say no one likely escaped the flames that tore through a boat packed with scuba divers and the search for survivors has been called off. Authorities said Tuesday that no one has been found alive. Only five of crew members sleeping on the top deck were able to escape early Monday. (AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa)

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) – No one likely escaped the flames that tore through a boat packed with scuba divers, with all 34 people sleeping below deck presumed dead during a Labor Day weekend expedition off the Southern California coast, authorities said Tuesday as they called off the search for survivors.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said no one has been found alive after the fire engulfed the dive boat early Monday. Flames blocked an escape hatch and a stairwell leading to the sleeping area crowded with passengers on a recreational scuba diving trip.

Only five crew members sleeping on the top deck were able to escape by jumping into the water and steering a small boat to safety.

The fire that engulfed the Conception is believed to have killed all 33 passengers and one crew member who was below deck, the sheriff said. Investigators have not yet determined how the fire erupted.

Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig told reporters that the victims’ relatives “will rely on us to do everything in our power to find out happened aboard that vessel in the last moments of these family members’ lives. That’s our commitment.”