⁍ All 33 passengers and one crew died of smoke inhalation because they were trapped in the berthing area while a fire burned above.

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⁍ NTSB urged all vessels with overnight accommodations to be required to have interconnected smoke detectors in all passenger areas.

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⁍ The absence of a required roving patrol on the Conception likely delayed the initial detection of the fire and directly led to the high number of fatalities.

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– The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a series of recommendations in the wake of a September boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Cruz, Calif., Reuters reports. According to the Los Angeles Times, the NTSB determined the probable cause of the fire on the 75-foot recreational diving vessel Conception was the failure of Truth Aquatics, the owner and operator of the vessel, to provide effective oversight of its vessel and crew operations. All 33 passengers and one crew member died of smoke inhalation when they were trapped in the berthing area while a fire burned above. The NTSB’s recommendations include requiring all vessels with overnight accommodations to have interconnected smoke detectors in all passenger areas and secondary means of escape that lead into a different space than the primary exit. The NTSB also called on the US Coast Guard to establish an inspection program to verify roving patrols are conducted—as required. The NTSB determined the absence of a required roving patrol on the Conception likely delayed the initial detection of the fire and directly led to the high number of fatalities, the NTSB found. “Our new recommendations will make these vessels safer, but there is no rule change that can replace human vigilance,” NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said. The NTSB has an active criminal investigation into the accident.