County Lawyer Among 3 Killed in Yacht Fire : Tragedy: Smoke inhalation caused deaths. Eight other passengers escaped burning boat.

The medical examiner’s office on Sunday identified the three casualties of a weekend boat fire as a deputy San Diego County counsel and an El Cajon resident and his father.

David Bruce Florance, 36, of San Diego died after being airlifted to UC San Diego Medical Center, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Ed Heilbrun said. Florance had been a deputy county counsel for about two years.

Najem Youssef Atme, 67, and his son, Kamal Najem Atme, 35, an El Cajon structural engineer, both were pronounced dead at the scene, the coroner’s office said. Najem Youssef Atme was visiting the United States from Lebanon.

All three died of smoke inhalation, a coroner’s report said.

The three had been sailing 2 1/2 miles south of Point Loma on the 52-foot sloop La Gitana on Saturday afternoon when a fire erupted below deck. Eight other passengers jumped overboard immediately after the fire broke out and were rescued by a passing boat and city lifeguards. They suffered burns, shock and smoke inhalation, authorities said.

Six of the passengers, including the boat’s owner, Jim Wagner, were treated at local hospitals and released.

Names of the other injured passengers were not released.

The cause of the fire had not been determined Sunday, but “we’re looking right now at a (butane-propane) coffee maker,” Heilbrun said.

No estimate of the damage to the 70-year-old La Gitana has been made, Heilbrun said.

“From the side, you wouldn’t be able to tell there was a fire, but the whole inside is pretty well trashed,” Heilbrun said.

There was no indication as to how long the group had been sailing, Heilbrun said. The fire, which began at 4:26 p.m., was put out by the crews of Coast Guard boats in 90 minutes, Heilbrun said.