Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Diving Dubai]

the question of emergency exits may have been a moot point.

I would argue (from an aerospace background) that actually it's not a moot point. Fire is a risk, so adequate escape should be provided (as well as preventative measures, warning - alarms and fire suppression)

So I would say the cause of the fire is secondary, The primary being; was their sufficient warning to the passengers, and what prevented their evacuation

I've worked with the NTSB on air crash investigations in US so know they'll be very thorough.

What stands out to me straight away from the picture in post #45 from @elgoog is how narrow and insufficient the gangways are. It's a dead end one way and, in the middle of the night, if awakened everyone trying to get out of bed at the same time (some possibly getting belongings). If passengers near the exits on this boat were overcome with noxious fumes (assuming they were awake) then that would block that route.

GRP boats burn fast

With an aircraft you have multiple routes and exits, you can go over the seats if you wish For the A 380 we evacuated 850 passengers in 78 seconds (less than 90 seconds is the required time), with 50% of exits made unusable.

The plane had debris in the aisles was dark and we pumped smoke in just to make it that little bit more difficult as an additional incentive we offered hard cash $50/$100 notes to the first X many people off to encourage a less orderly (more "panicked) departure for test "passengers"

This will have impacts on US boats for sure, no doubt with new legislation being implemented and boats being pulled out of service for non compliance, with OP's not being able to afford to replace them

 

[KevinNM]

This will have impacts on US boats for sure, no doubt with new legislation being implemented and boats being pulled out of service for non compliance, with OP's not being able to afford to replace them

This isn't going to have the impact of the Titanic on marine safety regulation, but it's doubtless going to have a major impact on this style of dive boat in the US. And maybe a lot more than just dive boats.

 

[StefinSB]

Just a thought about the cause. How is the tender gasoline stored and where?

There is no gasoline. The boat had Diesel engines.

 

[chris kippax]

There is no gasoline. The boat had Diesel engines.

I imagine there was/would of been gasoline, What would the tender run on?
Pretty big tender to have a diesel inboard.

 

[KevinNM]

There is no gasoline. The boat had Diesel engines.

Outboard engine on the chase boat? I know that there are diesel outboards available, but they are not very common and there was a period of a few years when I don' think anyone made them.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I would argue (from an aerospace background) that actually it's not a moot point. Fire is a risk, so adequate escape should be provided (as well as preventative measures, warning - alarms and fire suppression)

So I would say the cause of the fire is secondary, The primary being; was their sufficient warning to the passengers, and what prevented their evacuation

I've worked with the NTSB on air crash investigations in US so know they'll be very thorough.

What stands out to me straight away from the picture in post #45 from @elgoog is how narrow and insufficient the gangways are. It's a dead end one way and, in the middle of the night, if awakened everyone trying to get out of bed at the same time (some possibly getting belongings). If passengers near the exits on this boat were overcome with noxious fumes (assuming they were awake) then that would block that route.

GRP boats burn fast

With an aircraft you have multiple routes and exits, you can go over the seats if you wish For the A 380 we evacuated 850 passengers in 78 seconds (less than 90 seconds is the required time), with 50% of exits made unusable.

The plane had debris in the aisles was dark and we pumped smoke in just to make it that little bit more difficult as an additional incentive we offered hard cash $50/$100 notes to the first X many people off to encourage a less orderly (more "panicked) departure for test "passengers"

This will have impacts on US boats for sure, no doubt with new legislation being implemented and boats being pulled out of service for non compliance, with OP's not being able to afford to replace them

It's going to affect how I look at my potential lobs outside of North America too. Not that my wishes will change anything but I may be able to finagle rooms that are next to the stairs.

I said earlier that I'd already had the chat with myself about my chances regarding escape by hatchway but I'm rethinking it.

 

[catzndogz22]

This will surely impact US safety standards, but I'd like to think the impact will go beyond US Coastal waters. Surely, no dive operator wants to find themselves in this situation. As a diver who regularly books liveaboard trips, I will absolutely be more attentive to boat layout and safety for my future trips. For my last three liveaboard trips, I do clearly recall a safety briefing shortly after boarding. As another person posted in this thread, the Nautilus safety procedure was especially thorough. I was in the triple cabin on the Explorer and our room was missing one life jacket. This was quickly rectified during the safety briefing/drill. I'm not sure we would have noticed otherwise.

 

[SapphireMind]

If anyone would like to read an example of an ntsb report, here's one:

https://ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9108.pdf

My cousin died on that flight, and when I started doing a lot of medevac flying, I got curious and read it. Incredibly thorough.

If the ntsb is looking at it, it will be beyond exhaustive - they will test survivors and deceased blood and tissues for chemicals and alcohol (like chemicals from the smoke even) to see if anything else affected their ability to respond and escape, they will recreate the accident to the best of their ability to make sure what happened and what can be done to prevent it next time. I have nothing but faith in them.

 

[chris kippax]

This is an absolute tragedy and I feel for all those involved, I hope that they have not perished in vain and this incident prevents an occurrence of something similar ever happening again. I feel for the families involved but also for owners/staff of Truth Aquatics as this is a terrible load to bear regardless of responsibility.
I shudder at the thought of being in that bunk room.
In my experience fires on diesel engines come from fuel lines rubbing through and misting diesel over hot components, Turbo charger failures and turbo oil feed lines rupturing and misting oil over hot components and large electrical cables rubbing through on fuel or oil lines.
In all of these fires I have been involved in the fire suppression has put the fire out quickly and totally. I echo what others have said regards lithium ion batteries or an electrical fire being the most probable cause. Electrical fires are frightening in there speed and the amount of heat produced. I have seen a small lipo battery explode and the release of energy was staggering. I would hate to see what a set of video light or dpv batteries would do, especially in a confined space. I hope there is some solid changes brought forward from the NTSB report

 

[chillyinCanada]

For what it's worth, most recent news reports are saying that 15 (possibly 20) bodies have been recovered.