California boat fire: dozens of bodies found off Santa Cruz

Nine bodies missing in blaze out at sea off California coast

Ventura County Fire Department respond to the boat fire on the 23-metre Conception vessel off Santa Cruz Island, California. Reuters

The damaged Conception is seen after the blaze was put out. Reuters

Rescue personnel return to shore with the bodies of 25 victims. Reuters

Local law enforcement and coroners work to retrieve the bodies found by diving teams. AP

Local fire officials along with search and rescue teams walk off the dock. AP

A man places flowers at a memorial wall near the Truth Aquatics moorings in Santa Barbara, California. AFP

James Miranda, left, of Santa Barbara, holds flowers and takes a moment to reflect at a dock near the Sea Landing at Santa Barbara Harbor. AP

Colin Martz, 16, an intern at Santa Barbara Sailing Center, places flowers at a dolphin statue. AP

Flowers and candles are seen at a memorial near Truth Aquatics. Reuters

When the mayday call came in, authorities in Southern California quickly realised they were facing just about the worst firefighting scenario imaginable: a boat fully ablaze far out to sea in the middle of the night with one narrow stairway out for over 30 sleeping passengers.

"You couldn't ask for a worse situation," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said late on Monday.

Coast Guard Lt Cmdr Matthew Kroll said at least 25 people on a recreational scuba-diving trip died and the search will continue through the night for the nine others still missing.

He says five others have been found but not recovered due to unsafe conditions under the boat, which sank in about 18 metres of water. Lt Cmdr Kroll that said these numbers are based on initial reports and authorities are awaiting final counts from the autopsies.

Five crew members sleeping on the top deck jumped off and took a dinghy to safety. Two had minor injuries.

The Oxnard Fire Department assist a man who was rescued from the deadly boat fire. KCBS via AP

Meanwhile, authorities opened a family assistance centre where counseling was being provided to relatives of those onboard. None of their names were immediately released.

The missing and dead were among 39 passengers and crew who had departed Santa Barbara's Channel Islands Harbor on Saturday aboard the boat Conception for aweekend scuba-diving trip during America's Labour Day weekend.

The fire broke out about 3am as the Conception was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, about 145 kilometer) northwest of Los Angeles. The crew appeared to quickly call for help.

"The call was garbled, it was not that clear, but we were able to get some information out of it to send vessels," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney.

Captain Paul Amaral of the vessel assistance company TowBoatUS also launched a fast boat from Ventura Harbor, but it was some 30 miles (48 kilometers) away. By the time it got there around 5am a Coast Guard helicopter and a fireboat were on scene.

Mr Amaral said he first searched the water and shoreline, then turned back to the Conception, which was adrift and going aground. He attached a line and pulled it into deeper water where the fireboats could reach.

Firefighters attempt to put out the boat fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island. AFP

"We launched that boat knowing that the vessel was on fire, lots of people aboard," he told The Associated Press.

The five crew members, meanwhile, had taken their dingy to a private fishing boat, The Grape Escape, that was anchored near the north shore of Santa Cruz Island.

That boat's owners, Bob and Shirley Hansen, told The New York Times they were asleep when they heard pounding on the side of their 18m vessel about 3:30am and discovered the frightened crew members.

"When we looked out, the other boat was totally engulfed in flames, from stem to stern," Mr Hansen said. "I could see the fire coming through holes on the side of the boat. There were these explosions every few beats. You can't prepare yourself for that. It was horrendous."

Mr Hansen said two of the crew members went back toward the Conception looking for survivors but found no one.

Four bodies had injuries consistent with drowning, Lt Cmdr Kroll said.

It wasn't immediately clear when the other bodies that have been found might be retrieved or when divers could search the boat for others.

"It's upside down in relatively shallow water with receding tides that are moving it around," Brown said. Investigators have not yet determined a cause for the fire.

The 23m Conception was on a three-day excursion to the chain of rugged, wind-swept isles that form Channel Islands National Park in the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles. The fire broke out as the boat sat anchored in Platt's Harbor off Santa Cruz Island.

The Conception, based in Santa Barbara Harbour on the mainland, was owned by Santa Barbara-based Truth Aquatics, founded in 1974. A memorial outside Truth Aquatics in the Santa Barbara Harbour grew Monday night as mourners came to pay their respects.

Dave Reid, who runs an underwater camera manufacturing business with his wife, Terry Schuller, and has travelled on the Conception and two other boats in Truth Aquatics' fleet, said he considered all three among the best and safest.

"When you see the boats they are always immaculate," he said. "I wouldn't hesitate at all to go on one again. Of all the boat companies, that would be one of the ones I wouldn't think this would happen to."

His wife said Truth Aquatics crews have always been meticulous in going over safety instructions at the beginning of every trip she's been on.

"They tell you where the life jackets are, how to put them on ... the exits, where the fire extinguishers are, on every single trip," said Schuller. "They are the best, the absolute best."

Both said the sleeping area is comfortable but tight, however, with bunk beds stacked next to one another on the lowest deck. Coming up to the top deck to get off requires navigating a narrow stairway with only one exit.

If the fire was fast-moving, Reid said, it's very likely divers couldn't escape and the crew couldn't get to them.

Coast Guard records show all safety violations from the last five years were quickly addressed by the boat's owners. Some safety violations were related to fire safety. A 2016 inspection resulted in owners replacing the heat detector in the galley and one in 2014 cited a leaky fire hose.

The Conception was chartered by Worldwide Diving Adventures, which says on its website that it has been taking divers on such expeditions since the 1970s.

A man prays and drops flowers into the water at Santa Barbara Harbour. AFP

Andy Taylor, owner of Blue Water Hunter Dive Shop in Santa Barbara, said he discussed dive conditions with several people Friday as they were buying some last-minute things before boarding the Conception. Taylor said he often sends divers to Truth Aquatics for trips and he has friends who have crewed on the Conception.

He said he was on the phone all day Monday as friends checked to make sure he wasn't on the boat.

"Right now it's a big question of who was on there and who wasn't," he said. "I'm scared to see the list of names, honestly."