‘Worst Case Scenario’ in Santa Cruz Island Boat Fire
As Search & Rescue Efforts Cease, 34 Souls Presumed Lost Forever
In the most deadly disaster in Santa Barbara history — maritime or otherwise — 34 people are presumed dead after the Conception, a well-known chartered dive boat, violently burst into flames 20 yards from Santa Cruz Island, where it was moored in the early morning hours of Labor Day.
As of Tuesday morning, 20 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage and taken to the County of Santa Barbara’s coroner office for storage and forensic evaluation. Fourteen people were still missing. The cause of the fire remains far from certain, but witnesses described a series of explosions taking place at about the same time the first frantic mayday call came in at 3:30 a.m.
Theories abound, but it remains unclear if the fire triggered the explosions or the explosions caused the fire. In any case, the violence and heat of the conflagration was sufficiently searing that identification of the first four bodies retrieved from the scene will require DNA analysis.
