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| Over 30 Missing in Boat Fire Off Santa Cruz Island in California, Officials Say | Over 30 Missing in Boat Fire Off Santa Cruz Island in California, Officials Say |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| OXNARD, Calif. — The United States Coast Guard is searching for more than 30 people after a scuba diving boat caught fire north of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California early Monday morning, a spokeswoman said. | |
| Five crew members, who were on board when the fire began, were able to evacuate, the Coast Guard spokeswoman, Capt. Monica Rochester, said at a news conference. The passengers were believed to have been asleep below deck. | |
| “The crew was actually already awake and on the bridge and they jumped off,” she said. | “The crew was actually already awake and on the bridge and they jumped off,” she said. |
| Search and rescue operations are still being conducted, and crews are searching the shoreline for survivors, Captain Rochester said. The boat sank earlier in the morning in Platts Harbor, about 20 yards from shore, as fire department crews fought the blaze. | |
| The boat was a 75-foot scuba diving vessel named Conception, Petty Officer Mark Barney, a Coast Guard spokesman, told The New York Times. A boat of that length and with that name had been scheduled for a three-day diving trip in the area beginning on Saturday, according to the website of Truth Aquatics, a Santa Barbara trip operator. | The boat was a 75-foot scuba diving vessel named Conception, Petty Officer Mark Barney, a Coast Guard spokesman, told The New York Times. A boat of that length and with that name had been scheduled for a three-day diving trip in the area beginning on Saturday, according to the website of Truth Aquatics, a Santa Barbara trip operator. |
| There was still no information on Monday about the nature of the fire. Captain Rochester said the boat was fully in compliance and had no prior violations. | There was still no information on Monday about the nature of the fire. Captain Rochester said the boat was fully in compliance and had no prior violations. |
| Jonathan Blackman said in an interview on Monday that he had been on diving trips on Truth Aquatics boats, including one last year, and had always found the staff on board to be professional. | |
| “They’re usually men and women who are dedicated to the sport themselves,” said Mr. Blackman, 53, who lives in San Francisco and has been diving for decades. “They want to make sure everyone has a good time. Their focus is on safety.” | |
| On such trips, he said, passengers typically sleep below deck, where points of entry and exit can be limited. Last week, Mr. Blackman booked a four-day trip with Truth Aquatics, a tour scheduled for October aboard the Conception. | |
| At the news conference, Captain Rochester said that 34 people were still missing, though estimates from officials had been in flux throughout the morning on Monday. (Less than an hour before the news conference, the Coast Guard itself had said in a statement that only 33 were missing.) | At the news conference, Captain Rochester said that 34 people were still missing, though estimates from officials had been in flux throughout the morning on Monday. (Less than an hour before the news conference, the Coast Guard itself had said in a statement that only 33 were missing.) |
| The Coast Guard picked up a mayday call related to the fire at about 3:15 a.m. and dispatched two helicopter crews and several boats to the scene, where they were met by partner law enforcement agencies. | The Coast Guard picked up a mayday call related to the fire at about 3:15 a.m. and dispatched two helicopter crews and several boats to the scene, where they were met by partner law enforcement agencies. |
| Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, Calif., where the local Coast Guard is headquartered, was covered in fog on Monday morning, which locals said was an everyday occurrence and frequently cleared up by the afternoon. Despite the tragedy offshore, business continued largely as usual along the harbor; out on the water were recreational boats, kayakers and paddle boarders. | Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, Calif., where the local Coast Guard is headquartered, was covered in fog on Monday morning, which locals said was an everyday occurrence and frequently cleared up by the afternoon. Despite the tragedy offshore, business continued largely as usual along the harbor; out on the water were recreational boats, kayakers and paddle boarders. |
| Santa Cruz Island, in Santa Barbara County, is one of five islands in Channel Islands National Park, according to the website for the National Park Service, which owns and manages about a quarter of the island. The other three-quarters is owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy. California’s largest island, at about 96 square miles, Santa Cruz Island is about 20 miles from Ventura, the website said. | Santa Cruz Island, in Santa Barbara County, is one of five islands in Channel Islands National Park, according to the website for the National Park Service, which owns and manages about a quarter of the island. The other three-quarters is owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy. California’s largest island, at about 96 square miles, Santa Cruz Island is about 20 miles from Ventura, the website said. |
| Jose A. Del Real reported from Oxnard, Calif., and Niraj Chokshi from New York. |