NTSB preliminary report: crew members aboard Conception were asleep

The NTSB released its preliminary report on the Conception dive boat fire Thursday.

The fire, which broke out early Labor Day morning off Santa Cruz Island, killed 34 people.

Five of the six crew members who were on board survived.

The preliminary report from the NTSB says the initial interviews with three crew members revealed no mechanical or electrical issues were reported. The NTSB says five crew members were asleep behind the wheelhouse at the time of the fire. A sixth crew member was asleep in the bunkroom.

Investigators previously said they were looking into whether there was a night watchman on duty at the time.

The NTSB says the bunkroom had an emergency escape hatch at the end, and there were two smoke detectors in the overhead bunkroom.

The report also gave a more detailed timeline of the events surrounding the deadly fire. It says a crew member woke up to a noise and got up to investigate. He then saw a fire at the end of the sun deck, coming from the compartment below. That crew member woke up the other crew members behind the wheelhouse. The captain then radioed a distress message to the Coast Guard.

The crew members tried to get to the passengers below, but weren’t able to use a ladder because it was on fire. They then jumped down to the main deck. One crew member broke his leg during the jump. The crew tried to access the passengers again, but they were blocked by flames and thick smoke. Crew members then tried to open a window, but were overwhelmed by smoke, according to the NTSB. The crew then jumped overboard.

Two crew members and the captain swam to the stern, got back on the boat, and opened the hatch to the engine room. They saw no fire in that room, but they were still unable to reach the passengers because of flames. They launched a small skiff and picked up the two other crew members in the water.

Eventually they boarded a Good Samaritan boat called the Grape Escape. The captain continued to radio for help, and two crew members went back to the Conception to search for survivors.

Coast Guard and fire departments arrived at the scene later on to put out the fire and search for survivors. The boat eventually burned to the waterline and sank in about 60 feet of water.

The NTSB previously said investigators were looking at several factors to determine the cause of the fire, including how batteries and electronics were stored and charged. The new report, however, says efforts are still underway to determine the exact source of the fire.

Investigators have collected documents from recent Coast Guard inspections and visited another Truth Aquatics vessel as part of the investigation.

Earlier this week, the Coast Guard issued additional safety recommendations in the wake of the deadly boat fire. Those recommendations included limiting unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries and the use of power strips and extension cords.

The FBI also launched a criminal probe into the September 2 fire.

Salvage efforts are still underway for the boat.

The final victim’s body was found and recovered Wednesday.

NTSB investigators plan to examine current regulations regarding similar boats. They will look into early-warning and smoke detection and alarm systems, evacuation routes, training, and current company policies and procedures.