A lawsuit has been filed against the U.S. Coast Guard over the deaths of the 34 people who died in a 2019 dive boat fire in the Channel Islands.
The Santa Barbara based dive boat Conception was hit by an early morning fire which trapped all 33 of the boat’s passengers, and one of the crew members below deck as they were sleeping.
Five crew members, who were on the upper deck when the fire started, survived by jumping overboard.
The federal lawsuit accuses the Coast Guard of failing to properly enforce regulations, and allowing the vessel to operate with electrical and safety problems which led to the deadly fire.
Suits have already been filed against the boat’s owner, Truth Aquatics.
The boat's captain, Jerry Boylan, faces 34 counts of a rarely used charge called “seaman's manslaughter.” He pled not guilty to the federal charges.
A federal investigation was unable to positively determine the cause of the fire. But, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled it was likely sparked by overheating lithium iron batteries from cell phones and cameras plugged into power strips. The report also said the lack of a roving night watchman contributed to the disaster.
September 2 marks the the second anniversary of the fire.
