Lack of escape routes in California boat fire becomes focus as investigation intensifies
LOS ANGELES - As investigators searched for answers in the worst maritime disaster in modern California history, there was growing focus Tuesday on the limited escape routes available to the 34 people who are believed to have perished when a diving charter boat caught fire early Monday during a Labor Day expedition around the Channel Islands.
When the fire broke out around 3 a.m., five crew members on deck jumped overboard and escaped, paddling a dinghy to a nearby boat. Everyone else - including another member of the crew - was in sleeping quarters below deck and unable to get out, with the only two exits apparently blocked by fire.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill
