While there is still no word on what caused the boat fire that left 34 people presumed dead off the Santa Barbara coast, a local charter boat operator says such incidents are extremely rare.
"Devastating — really," said John Conniff who owns the Islander, a Point Loma-based charter boat which takes people on diving trips to see Great White sharks. "I mean there’s been incidents and accidents on these boats over the years but nothing of this magnitude at all."
Conniff said he heard the U.S. Coast Guard early Monday responding to the distress calls from Conception, the 75-foot boat used for scuba diving charter trips. The U.S. Coast Guard is still investigating how the fire started.
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Charters are required to have crew members on watch at all times and have fire fighting systems and smoke alarms, Conniff said.
"We have protocols and systems set up for these emergencies," he said. "But the unfortunate reality is that sometimes the situation that can arise and just overwhelm everything that’s in place."
He added that regulators keep a close eye on the industry.
"If you’re not compliant you can’t go out — you literally can’t leave the docks," he said. "It’s well regulated and as far as incidents like this — I’ve been in the industry for 25 years now and I’ve never seen anything like this."
