A diving boat captain caught fire three years ago off Santa Barbara Coast, Californiaresulting in the deaths of 34 people on board, were indicted this week on one count of misconduct or negligence of a ship officer.
Captain Jerry Boylan, 68, was allegedly the first crew member to leave the ship when a fire broke out at Conception on September 2, 2019.
Allegedly failed to “implement any rescue or firefighting activities Whatever the time of the fire, he was unharmed,” and did not use the boat’s public speech system to warn others on board of the fire, according to the indictment.
Boylan is also accused of failing to observe the night and failing to conduct the necessary fire drills.
In this bulletin provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the 75-foot vehicle, based in the Port of Santa Barbara, burns after a fire early September 2, 2019, mooring off Santa Cruz Island, California.
(Santa Barbara County Fire Department via Getty Images)
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department is trying to put out a fire on the 75-foot-high load.
(Santa Barbara County Fire Department via Getty Images)
Five crew members, including Boyland, were asleep upstairs when the fire broke out. Crew members survived, while 33 passengers and one crew member who were below deck died from smoke inhalation.
“This tragedy It could have been completely avoided and because of his negligence and inaction, he lost 34 people and our lives changed forever.”
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The cause of the fire was never determined, but investigators found that it started near the back of the main deck, where people connected phones and other objects to combustible lithium-ion batteries.
Members of the FBI’s Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team prepare to retrieve the final body from the Conception dive boat on September 5, 2019, in Santa Barbara, California.
(George Rose/Getty Images)
Tuesday’s new indictment comes after a federal judge resigned Previous cartoons against Boylan because they did not claim gross negligence.
Boyland faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.