Conception on fire.Photo: AP/Shutterstock
TheCalifornia diving boat that killed 34 peoplewhen it burst into flames on Labor Day was grandfathered in to an exemption from a series of safety regulations meant to allow for easier escape, according to a new report from theLos Angeles Times.
The 75-foot Conception was built in 1981, and featured an escape hatch 24 inches wide and a lack of any illuminated exit signs.
It was one of about 325 small passenger vessels built before 1996, which meant it was exempt from updated Coast Guard safety standards, theTimesreported. Those standards require escape hatches to be at least 32 inches wide, and for vessels to have illuminated exit signs.
“We have always followed Coast Guard regulations and whatever is required,” Truth Aquatics — which operated the Conception — owner Glen Fritzler told theTimes. “Our past inspections reflect our commitment.”
Even so, the outlet previouslyreportedthat the Coast Guard had “often ignored” recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board to improve fire-safety measures over the last two decades.
TheTimesnoted that it remains unclear whether these fixes would have helped prevent the deaths of the33 passengers and one crew memberon board, all of whom died of smoke inhalation.
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“It surprised me how small it was and how difficult it was to access,” said Jennifer Homendy, who is overseeing the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation, adding that she and the investigators also had difficulty finding a light switch.
The Conception had passed its previous inspections, U.S. Coast Guard Captain Monica Rochester said at apress conferenceshortly after the fire.
Ringo H W Chiu/AP/Shutterstock
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report in September that found the Conception had violated a roving night watch requirement, asall six of its crew members were sleepingwhen the fire broke out.
Five who were asleep behind the wheelhouse on the boat’s uppermost sun deck survived, while the one crew member sleeping alongside the passengers in the bunkroom on the lower deck did not.
He alerted the other crew members, and though they made attempts to reach the people below, they were unable to because of the heat, flames and smoke, according to the NTSB.
source: people.com
