In Reply to: Conception Dive Boat Explodes in Flames at Santa Cruz Island posted by Chris on September 02, 2019 at 07:06:25:

I think at this point what a lot of people are asking is why the smoke detectors didn't alert people. It
certainly mystifies me. I saw this comment in the L.A. Times- "She described the smoke alarm on the
vessel as one that can be bought at Home Depot." I know that is incorrect on the Truth because I saw a
high dollar one at the back of the galley in July. It was not a Home Depot smoke detector. It was at
least commercial grade and I bet it was very loud. I'm not sure how widespread it is, but it looks like
some want to play the blame game claiming safety gear and procedures were inadequate. The article talks
about a "night watchman", but the smoke detector was the "night watchman" and should have been less
likely to fail than a human. Do they want to have another crew member on every charter boat
over 40 feet?

Accidents like this are almost always a cascade of events. Lithium batteries on boats didn't happen 10
years ago, so it's a new factor, but ... this just seems like black swan and then a black ferret... A
battery ignited ... and the resin coated table lit. ... and OK, that seems a bit of a stretch, but OK.
Where did it go from there? How did the fiberglass of the boat catch fire? That is not easy. Where was
the smoke detector this whole time? That's what I wish I knew. Such a sad sad turn of events and a smoke
detector should have prevented it.