Posted on 09/02/2019 8:51:41 AM PDT by Zhang Fei
At least 34 people were feared dead after a boat caught fire off Santa Cruz Island, California, early Monday morning, officials have confirmed.
Fox affiliate KTTV earlier confirmed there were nearly three dozen fatalities, but Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr Matthew Kroll told Fox News the 34 people were unaccounted for from a commercial diving ship. The captain of the boat was helping with the rescue. Four other people were rescued. Lt. Cmdr Kroll later confirmed the ship sunk near the north shore of Santa Cruz Island after taking on water.
At least 34 people were feared dead after a boat caught fire off Santa Cruz Island, California, early Monday morning, officials have confirmed.
Fox affiliate KTTV earlier confirmed there were nearly three dozen fatalities, but Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr Matthew Kroll told Fox News the 34 people were unaccounted for from a commercial diving ship. The captain of the boat was helping with the rescue. Four other people were rescued. Lt. Cmdr Kroll later confirmed the ship sunk near the north shore of Santa Cruz Island after taking on water.
"The Coast Guard has launched multiple rescue assets along with assets from local agencies to assist more than 30 people in distress on a 75ft boat near Santa Cruz Island," Coast Guard LA said in a tweet shortly before 5 a.m. local time.
A second tweet from the Coast Guard said the vessel was reported as being on fire and that one of those rescued had minor injuries.
Firefighters with the Ventura County Fire Department responded around 3:28 a.m., according to a spokesperson.
The Coast Guard responded with two helicopters, two 45-foot Swift boats and an 87-foot cutter.
Officer Nathan Alldredge of the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol told Fox News that his office responded to a mutual aid call
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What causes a boat to explode? Sinking I can understand; but explode?
(next question: who was on the boat?)
Arson?
Diving boat, ALL crew escaped. Odd
Oxygen tanks for diving could explode
Scuba Charter named the Conception. Fires at sea happen.
Prayers up. WOW! NOT a good scenario.
Some excellent observations on this event here: https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3776029/posts
Air tanks. Nobody dives on oxygen, it will kill you. It’s a common misconception. That said there may have been a bank of O2 bottles on board to mix enriched air (also known as Nitrox).
What causes a boat to explode?
Dive boat crews are up moving the boats to new divested before first light. So it would be expected that the passengers were still in their bunks.
Kitchen fire? Engine fire?
Divested = dive sites
Explosions can occur on boats from fuel Vapors, particularly propane vapor. Of course any boat would have sensors to detect the presence of such Vapors and would trigger alarms. But propane in particular is heavier than air and can accumulate in the lowest part of the hull for any length of time, to reach an explosive level. It is exceptionally implausible that such a thing might have happened, given that there are sensors, alarms and routine venting of these areas. But these accidents occur often under unbelievable conditions. I had a roommate who used to go out on those boats all the time, complete diving fanatic.
You’d think one would notice something not right. Wonder if carbon monoxide was a factor if they were all still in their bunks?
Yeah, either fuel for the engines or propane for the galley.
[Diving boat, ALL crew escaped. Odd]
https://youtu.be/AnfbhdELQLA?t=73
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.