Conception dive boat fire marks 6th anniversary

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- Sept. 2nd marks the sixth anniversary of the deadly Conception dive boat fire.

It happened in 2019.

The Conception, owned by Truth Aquatics at the time, had left the Santa Barbara Harbor for an annual 3-day Labor Day weekend dive trip to Santa Cruz island.

At 3 a.m. on Labor Day the fire started.

All 33 passengers and one crew member, sleeping below deck, died.

People in the Santa Barbara Harbor remember.

Blue Water Hunter CEO Jethro Acosta said he had bought his dive and fishing shop that same year.

"It is a sad day because a lot of people lost their lives on a fun adventure that they were having and have had in the past, you know that whole outfit brought so much joy to so many people, and it ended in such a tragedy.," said Acosta, "But we still do have the islands there and they are one of them most amazing places to dive and the fish life is next to none."

Acosta said there are now devices and regulations to make sure this never happens again.

He said there are also new devices to make sure someone is on watch.

While many people suspected a charging station with lithium batteries caught fire, the final report suggested a trash can fire on the main deck that burned the entire boat with a wooden hull.

The Conception Captain Jerry Boylan was convicted of seaman's manslaughter but is out on bail while the decision is under appeal.

Employees at the Trader Joe's on Milpas made sure the memorial at the end of the break wall was surrounded by bouquets to mark the somber day.