Full coverage: California boat fire

Truth Aquatics announced on Instagram it had suspended all operations amid investigations into the fire aboard a dive boat that killed 34 people.

Authorities are painstakingly rebuilding the charred remains of the Conception and scouring the ocean floor for more evidence of the cause of the fire that killed 34.

Electronic devices were plugged into a series of outlets in the Conception’s galley. Those outlets are a focus of the investigation into the deadly dive boat fire that killed 34.

Crew member Ryan Sims filed a lawsuit naming Truth Aquatics Inc., Worldwide Diving Adventures and Conception owner Glen Fritzler as defendants.

California boat fire: The Conception could yield an answer to the big question: How did the fire start?

Despite federal law requiring that a night watchman remain awake at all times, the entire crew of the Conception was asleep when a deadly fire ignited, NTSB investigators find.

A preliminary NTSB report suggests the dive boat Conception’s crew was in violation of federal law requiring a roving night watchman to be awake at all times.

California boat fire: Authorities raise the burned remains of Conception after weather delays

California Boat Fire: An emergency escape hatch is a center of investigation into Conception disaster. Some passengers say they were not aware of it. Others said they were.

Divers on Wednesday recovered the final victim of the California boat fire that killed 34 people on Labor Day.

The bulletin calls on boat operators to make sure safety equipment works and reduce potential hazards from lithium batteries, power strips and cords.

Investigators have still not determined the cause of the worst maritime disaster in modern California history and believe being able to examine the boat could help locate a ignition source and answer why none of the victims were able to escape.

The sunken Conception could be towed back to shore as early as Wednesday. Authorities hope to find the final victim of the Labor Day boat fire.

The probe is being led by the U.S. Coast Guard criminal investigative group under the oversight of the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

California boat fire: What investigators are trying to uncover

A 19th century law could shield the owners of the California diving boat Conception in which 34 people perished from significant damages. But they still face legal hurdles.

Agents served warrants at Truth Aquatics’ Santa Barbara headquarters, officials said. Investigators want training, safety and maintenance records.

The passengers of the Conception dive boat ended their second day in the waters off the California coast with a nighttime swim, exploring a lush, watery world populated with coral and kelp forests.

The Conception, where 34 people were killed in California’s worst maritime fire in recent history, was a “compliant fire trap,” one expert said.

Officials planned to begin raising the boat Friday, but that was put off because of weather conditions and safety concerns.

Some victims’ names are released as their families and the boat operator prepare for a legal battle.

As investigators try to find the cause of Monday’s deadly fire, the ship’s design and escape routes are drawing scrutiny.

Religious leaders and an official from the county’s Department of Behavioral Wellness spoke about the need to heal after the tragedy and how the sea can be a source of comfort.

Santa Barbara County officials on Friday released the names of nine people who died in a massive fire aboard the Conception that started as the 75-foot vessel was anchored off Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day.

Surviving crew members aboard the Conception tell what happened when fire broke out.

The owner of Conception asks a federal judge to eliminate or reduce payouts to relatives of crew and passengers after boat fire.

A preliminary investigation into the boat fire has suggested safety deficiencies aboard the vessel, including the lack of a “roaming night watchman” who is required to be awake and alert passengers in the event of a fire or other dangers.

California boat fire: Investigator touring a similar vessel to the Conception said getting to the emergency hatch in the dark was difficult.

Many in Santa Barbara have ties to the tight-knit diving community devastated by the fire. Hundreds have visited the makeshift memorial in Santa Barbara Harbor.

The theory, a good Samaritan said, was that the fire started in the galley, where cellphones and cameras had been plugged in to charge overnight.

Dale Sheckler, 62, had planned to join the Labor Day excursion aboard the Conception to take photos for an upcoming article in California Diver News. Then hip surgery derailed his plans. A massive fire on board killed 34.

Officials have recovered the bodies of 33 people who died in a massive fire aboard the Conception. One person remains missing.

California Boat Fire: There is growing focus on the limited escape route on the boat where 34 died in the worst maritime disaster in modern California history

The 34 people who lost their lives in the Conception boat fire included a teenager as young as 17 and adults in their 60s, the Santa Barbara sheriff said.

The three sisters — a nurse, a bartender and a middle school teacher — were celebrating their father’s birthday with a Labor Day diving trip.

The boat fire rocked the small, tightknit diving community in Southern California. Many have formed friendships bound by a passion for ocean exploring.

Five crew members survived the fire aboard the diving boat the Conception early Monday because they were stationed on the deck rather than below it, officials said.

Rescuers searched the waters off the Channel Islands as well as the Santa Cruz Island shore, hoping to find survivors but have found only bodies.

At least 20 people have been confirmed dead on the dive boat Conception after it caught fire early Monday and sank near Santa Cruz Island.

Investigators seek cause of deadly fire aboard California dive boat

Dozens are feared dead in predawn fire on dive boat Conception off Santa Cruz Island.

Kristy Finstad, a 41-year-old marine biologist, was among those initially unaccounted in the boat fire off California’s Channel Islands.

Many aboard the vessel Conception were thought to be sleeping below deck when the fire broke out in the predawn hours.

California Boat Fire: What it looks like at the scene of the Conception fire.

In a mayday call about a boat fire near Santa Cruz Island, Calif., the caller says he can’t breathe and there’s no escape hatch for those below deck.

A 75-foot diving boat called the Conception caught fire off the coast of Ventura County early Monday with 39 passengers aboard. Here’s what we know about its journey.

Conception crew members asked these boat owners for help. Some of the men were crying, one saying his girlfriend was still below deck.

Authorities said they got word of the boat fire off Santa Cruz Island in Southern California from a mayday call around 3:30 a.m.

The boat was regularly used for diving trips around the Channel Islands and was owned by Truth Aquatics, a major name in the world of charters.

Names of those missing and dead are being withheld pending next-of-kin notifications.