More than 30 people were unaccounted for after a dive boat caught fire off Santa Cruz Island early Monday.
At a news conference, Coast Guard Captain Monica Rochester said 34 people are still missing.
Thirty-nine people were aboard the 75-foot commercial diving vessel when a mayday call went out at 3:15 a.m. local time. Five people had been rescued and the rest were unaccounted for, Mike Eliason, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said earlier Monday.
#CommercialBoatFire– The 75’ Conception, based in Santa Barbara Harbor, caught fire early 9/2 while anchored off Santa Cruz Island, multiple agencies responded. 5 people were rescued and 34 are missing. **Media ONLY Contact Lt. Eric Rainey/SBSheriffs 805-886-7440** pic.twitter.com/2tIYpzuRWA
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) September 2, 2019
Rochester said the five crew members who escaped were awake at the time the fire started and jumped off the boat. The others were below deck, likely sleeping at the time of the blaze, Rochester said.
The boat, named the Conception, had set out for a three-day diving excursion on Saturday, according to the website for the diving company, Truth Aquatics. The boat was set to return to the Santa Barbara Harbor at about 5 p.m. on Labor Day.
While fire crews were fighting the blaze, the boat sank 20 yards off shore in 64 feet of water, the Coast Guard said. A portion of the vessel’s bow is sticking out of the water.
Crews from the Coast Guard, Santa Barbara Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department and Vessel Assist all responded to the fire.
