SANTA BARBARA, Calif. _ Officials will attempt Thursday to raise the remains of the Conception in what is considered a key step in the investigation into the fire aboard the diving boat that killed 34 people.
Authorities have been trying to recover the vessel for a week but have been delayed by poor weather. Investigators have still not determined the cause of the worst maritime disaster in recent California history and believe an examination of the boat could help locate a fire ignition source and determine why the victims were unable to escape.
The effort comes a day after divers recovered the last body from the scene of the fire, which broke out during a Labor Day weekend diving expedition, trapping the victims, who were sleeping below deck as the vessel was anchored off Santa Cruz Island. Five crew members who were on deck at the time were able to escape and said the fire was too intense to get anyone else out.
Authorities are still trying to determine the identities of seven bodies. Coroner's officials believe all the victims died of smoke inhalation.
While investigators have not determined what caused the fire, there have been suggestions that the blaze may have erupted at a charging station used by passengers for phones and other electronics in the galley or because of some lithium battery malfunction.
Federal investigators from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Coast Guard have spent the last two days searching the Santa Barbara Harbor office of Conception's operator, Truth Aquatics. The FBI on Tuesday also asked the public for any information _ including videos and photos _ on the Conception.
Investigators also continued to examine and remove items from Truth Aquatics' boat Vision, a 80-foot vessel similar to the Conception. FBI evidence experts carefully packaged up items in cardboard boxes while an ATF team scoured the boat's systems.
Investigators have been looking into possible shortcomings in the way the Conception was operated. Law enforcement sources told The Times last week that a preliminary investigation suggested safety deficiencies aboard the vessel.
Last week, National Transportation and Safety Board member Jennifer Jennifer Homendy told The Times she was "taken aback" by the size of the emergency hatch when she toured the Vision.
Law enforcement sources say the vessel lacked a night watchman assigned to remain awake to alert passengers of fire or other danger, and some of the surviving crew members told investigators they didn't have adequate training to handle a major emergency. Officials are also probing whether passengers received adequate safety instructions.
The designer of the Conception told The Times that he believed the fire began in the belly of the boat and involved lithium battery chargers.
On Wednesday, the Coast Guard issued a safety bulletin recommending that commercial boat operators nationwide review safety measures, make sure safety equipment is operational and reduce potential hazards from lithium batteries, power strips and extension cords.
The Coast Guard has also established a formal Marine Board of Investigation, its highest-level inquiry in fatal marine incidents. The panel of four board members will investigate all aspects of the fire.
