Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[HalcyonDaze]

you are assuming that the egress points were in fact blocked by fire in the saloon based on media reports. I think is is just as likely that the egress points were letting fir into the saloon and making it appear to those on the outside that the opposite was true.

4 people were recovered drowned, they did not die in the fire, and at least 3 were not crew, they escaped from somewhere to where they drowned.

That they drowned (and I think we need to wait and see if that is the official cause of death as opposed to say, smoke inhalation) does not necessarily mean they escaped. I would think that anyone who made it off the boat should have had a reasonable chance of remaining afloat and alive until rescue arrived; drowning seems more likely to result from being trapped in a flooding compartment and/or trying to escape the fire by submerging themselves.

 

[scubadada]

I would think that anyone who successfully escaped the boat in acceptable condition would have stood a reasonable chance to swim to safety. The fact that there were no survivors argues strongly against this possibility.

 

[cerich]

That they drowned (and I think we need to wait and see if that is the official cause of death as opposed to say, smoke inhalation) does not necessarily mean they escaped. I would think that anyone who made it off the boat should have had a reasonable chance of remaining afloat and alive until rescue arrived; drowning seems more likely to result from being trapped in a flooding compartment and/or trying to escape the fire by submerging themselves.

4 souls were recovered very early and their passing was described as "consistent with drowning". If they just escaped a almost engulfed compartment and had smoke inhalation etc. from the fire and were overcome in the water. Anyhow, I am not saying that that is what happened, I am saying that your assertions are not as clear to me at least as they are to you.

I've been in the after torp room in my rack that literally had a very powerful flare go off in it and watched (from under the noise makers I pulled over myself) as it bounced around and caught almost everything it touched on fire, including "flame proof materials" (they burn hot those darn SSE's) and then saw nothing but glow of stuff on fire in the smoke after it stopped bouncing and screeching as we grabbed extinguishers (we knew by feel where they were, it's what submariners do) and fought the fire.. then when the actual fire response team arrived got yelled at for not having gone on Bibbs before we fought the fire (he was right)

 

[cerich]

I would think that anyone who successfully escaped the boat in acceptable condition would have stood a reasonable chance to swim to safety. The fact that there were no survivors argues strongly against this possibility.

depends how much smoke and etc they inhaled.

 

[scubadada]

My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those lost and to the surviving crew. The crew survived the stuff of nightmares. A fire at sea, at night, and the loss of all the passengers. I cannot even begin to imagine how they feel.

But...I do look forward to what they say

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Yeah, that's the point. If the a member of the crew was awake and on the bridge, how did it get so bad so fast that once it was detected it was obviously beyond the ability of the crew to even attempt to fight it? And at this point we don't know that any of what I just stated as assumptions is the case. We don't know if there was a crew member awake. We don't know when it started. We don't know when or if any fire alarms went off and we don't know if any attempt was made to fight the fire.

But I lean to this being the case based on what people have said about the ship and crew and the condition of the crew when they arrived on the next vessel. However I wouldn't be shocked if the investigation shows something else.

Any speculation in this thread could be disproven based on new information, including anything I've posted. That said, so far what we've seen is consistent with the hypothesis that the situation went bad extremely fast.

 

[Buoy_A]

someone from another forum pointed out the escape hatch is actually seen here:
View attachment 538442

I do not believe that is the escape hatch for the berthing area. I believe that is the escape hatch for the engine room. The Vision has a similar escape hatch, per pictures in THIS previous thread.

 

[Lilespig]

There must be because it’s the rule. I’m told (heresay) that the back cabin doors were usually left open.

No, there was not. There is a single narrow staircase, which leads from the bunk room up to the very front starboard side, interior corner of the galley/ main salon. Apparently, passengers had to walk from the stern, through the salon and wall of the galley closest to the bow, then ingress or egress up the single interior staircase. There was one emergency exit hatch, leading to the galley floor, accessible by climbing up to an upper level bunk in the back of the bunk room. But most people would have difficulty getting up there one at time, with the lights one. Neither exit took them to exterior deck space without going through the galley which was engulfed.

 

[Wookie]

No, there was not. There is a single narrow staircase, which leads from the bunk room up to the very front starboard side, interior corner of the galley/ main salon. Apparently, passengers had to walk from the stern, through the salon and wall of the galley closest to the bow, then ingress or egress up the single interior staircase. There was one emergency exit hatch, leading to the galley floor, accessible by climbing up to an upper level bunk in the back of the bunk room. But most people would have difficulty getting up there one at time, with the lights one. Neither exit took them to exterior deck space without going through the galley which was engulfed.

We were discussing a second way out of the salon/galley. But thanks for chiming in.

 

[telemonster]

I would think that anyone who successfully escaped the boat in acceptable condition would have stood a reasonable chance to swim to safety. The fact that there were no survivors argues strongly against this possibility.

From what I remember the early news reports were that it was very foggy. That might of made it difficult to see shore. This is based on early news reports, I am not presenting it as a fact.