Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Gdog]

So regarding the rear bunks and no space between them and the last double bunks with the escape hatch, in this photo which was used before, you can see the bunks against the rear wall at the far end of this passageway....

I had the pleasure of occupying the middle of these three bunks. As you can see, only a portion of those bunks are visible. The other 1/3 or so is behind the end double bunks with the escape hatch on top. It butts up against the end bunks at the end of the other passageway, closing up any gap that would be behind the doubles. Here is a photo of the inside of the end bunk. I called it the sweatbox....

So as stated in earlier posts, the end bunks would have to be removed as well in any retrofit or redesign to accommodate a more fitting escape route.

 

[NickB-LA]

If that's true then what the Sheriff is saying is that the fire started in the bunkroom is the way I'm hearing it. A fire in the galley is going to be blowing toxic smoke away from the passengers Up. Its carrying heat. Heat rises. A galley fire starts and all the smoke detectors go off, Captain energizes the fire alarms and the passengers are alerted to make their evacuation before / while the crew goes to work on the fire. By the time the fire (if they cant extinguish it) reaches the berthing compartment, the passengers are in the water swimming to shore.

The way I see it, a fire (especially if its accompanied by a cloud of hydrogen fluoride big enough to incapacitate the passengers) could only get out of control this quickly if it were to begin in the bunkroom - the only area that your anchor and safety watch wouldn't be checking because everyone's asleep down there and you don't want a crew member down there banging around with her flashlight on.

From what is being reported, the crew says the windows in the galley were closed (they said they tried to open some). That means that other than the doorway at the rear of the galley was the only venting point. That doorway has an overhang, so it's not going simply blow out all of the toxic smoke and the fire is going to be eating up the available oxygen below.

A fire originating in the bunk room is bound to wake some who can raise an alarm. In such quarters, someone in the immediate area of the origin of the fire is going to wake up from either the heat or actually being burned before the fire gets completely insurmountable. You can't have anything bigger than what you would have in your living room fireplace in that bunk room without some one down there being aware.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

Then why didn't the alarms go off ?

Valid question but separate issue. You're welcome to argue against medical evidence if that's where you're going with your question but I'd suggest it's not viable.

 

[chillyinCanada]

From the aforementioned LA Times article:

John McDevitt, a former assistant fire chief, accredited marine surveyor and chair of a National Fire Protection Assn. committee on boat protection, questioned why both egress points – the stairwell and the hatch – deposited passengers into the galley and adjacent dining area.

“When you put two exits into the same common area, you are not providing two means of egress – it’s still only one,” he said.

Thank you. He's an expert but did not see for himself, I gather. Nor do I see him saying anything about "compliant firetrap"

 

[PDX Diver]

So regarding the rear bunks and no space between them and the last double bunks with the escape hatch, in this photo which was used before, you can see the bunks against the rear wall at the far end of this passageway....

View attachment 539079

I had the pleasure of occupying the middle of these three bunks. As you can see, only a portion of those bunks are visible. The other 1/3 or so is behind the end double bunks with the escape hatch on top. It butts up against the end bunks at the end of the other passageway, closing up any gap that would be behind the doubles. Here is a photo of the inside of the end bunk. I called it the sweatbox....

View attachment 539081

So as stated in earlier posts, the end bunks would have to be removed as well in any retrofit or redesign to accommodate a more fitting escape route.

I drew a circle below around the 120V outlets I described in an earlier post:

 

[Ken Kurtis]

But the graphic presented is more than adequate to show inadequate escape

This is certainly a valid topic for discussion but bear one thing in mind throughout this: This is not a dive accident, it's a boating accident where divers were the victims. It could just have easily been kayakers, nuns, or girl scouts. On top of that, these designs that people now seem to want to call flaws are approved by those agencies who are supposed to safeguard us. This design wasn't invented by Truth Aquatics. It was their version of complying with the regulations, inspected and approved annually by USCG for 38 years. Whatever changes come out of this, the ramifications will go far beyond just the dive boat industry.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

It is my understanding that being a coroner in many states does not require you to have any medical degree. I am not saying that makes a difference in this case though but somehow it is implied when we hear the word coroner, that there is a pathologist or similarly educated person at work.

In SB County, the Sheriff is the Coroner and relies on pathologists for determinations.

 

[ChrisM]

To be honest I think we’re really gonna have to wait until the report to get the full picture of what exactly happened between 2:30 and 3:15 am ish regarding who was awake and who was asleep. I’ve been following this very closely and some facts will appear to come out, get reported and then a fact or two contradicts it. I cannot for a second imagine that the boat would ride anchor with no one awake but we’re going to have to wait and see

On that note I am echoing a question from above. I heard the USCG ... captain? Sorry don’t know her rank - say at at yesterday’s presser that CG regs require a roving watchman. We can debate whether what they have complied but anyone know the cite for that?

 

[ChrisM]

So regarding the rear bunks and no space between them and the last double bunks with the escape hatch, in this photo which was used before, you can see the bunks against the rear wall at the far end of this passageway....

View attachment 539079

I had the pleasure of occupying the middle of these three bunks. As you can see, only a portion of those bunks are visible. The other 1/3 or so is behind the end double bunks with the escape hatch on top. It butts up against the end bunks at the end of the other passageway, closing up any gap that would be behind the doubles. Here is a photo of the inside of the end bunk. I called it the sweatbox....

View attachment 539081

So as stated in earlier posts, the end bunks would have to be removed as well in any retrofit or redesign to accommodate a more fitting escape route.

Yup. I’ve slept in one of those, even worse tho as it was the bottom one

 

[george_austin]

From what is being reported, the crew says the windows in the galley were closed (they said they tried to open some). That means that other than the doorway at the rear of the galley was the only venting point. That doorway has an overhang, so it's not going simply blow out all of the toxic smoke and the fire is going to be eating up the available oxygen below.

A fire originating in the bunk room is bound to wake some who can raise an alarm. In such quarters, someone in the immediate area of the origin of the fire is going to wake up from either the heat or actually being burned before the fire gets completely insurmountable. You can't have anything bigger than what you would have in your living room fireplace in that bunk room without some one down there being aware.

From what is being reported, the crew says the windows in the galley were closed (they said they tried to open some). That means that other than the doorway at the rear of the galley was the only venting point. That doorway has an overhang, so it's not going simply blow out all of the toxic smoke and the fire is going to be eating up the available oxygen below.

A fire originating in the bunk room is bound to wake some who can raise an alarm. In such quarters, someone in the immediate area of the origin of the fire is going to wake up from either the heat or actually being burned before the fire gets completely insurmountable. You can't have anything bigger than what you would have in your living room fireplace in that bunk room without some one down there being aware.

"A fire originating in the bunk room is bound to wake some who can raise an alarm"

Not necessarily - it depends on what type of fire it is. Class A - burning trashcan in the head - yes. An explosion and fire from a disastrous thermal event in a multi cell Li-Io pack would emit massive amounts of toxic gas and smoke acidic enough to be deadly in seconds.