Santa Craz Island, California is still coming to terms with the fire that sank the 75-foot dive boat MV Conception. This erupted at 3 a.m. in the morning of September 2, 2019. Thirty-five divers were trapped below, while five crew members sleeping above managed to escape. Witnesses are asking were cellphones behind the tragedy.
Were Cellphones Behind This? The Designer Comments
Newsletter Vice.Com says one survivor told the boat owner the divers left their phones charging in the galley. The boat designer agrees in principle, except he believes the fire started in the bunk area. He gave a straight answer to the question were cellphones behind that awful morning
“This had to have been, in my estimation, one of those lithium battery chargers,” he told Los Angeles Times. “This happened in the belly of the boat. Those people did not have a chance to get out: From stem to stern, that boat was burning.” From the image we post below dating from 2000 there was a staircase at the end of the passage.
What We Know About the Live-Aboard MV Conception Boat
The MV Conception was a locally-made vessel that first took to the water in 1981. It was under charter for a three-day scuba-diving voyage at the time of the fire. A Coast Guard inspection in February 2019 did not result in any ‘noteworthy violations’ according to Wikipedia.
The lower deck apparently provided accommodation for 46 people including 13 double bunks with 12 stacked in twos. There were also 20 single bunks of which eighteen were stacked in threes according to Wikipedia. Finally, they say one bunk was reserved for crew, with the rest of the hands accommodated topside on two decks. There were two exits, namely the staircase at the bow end, and an emergency escape hatch at the stern.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff believes the fire blocked both exits. The youngest victim was seventeen while the oldest were in their sixties. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the tragic event. It is possible there were cellphones behind this terrible tragedy. However we must wait for the official finding.
Related
Causes of Marine Lithium Battery Fires
Marine Battery Fire Suppression
Preview Image: The Conception Anchored at Avalon
