Fire of a California boat: A preliminary report from the NTSB indicates that all crew members were asleep at the fire of a design dive boat off the coast. 39, Santa Cruz Island

The six crew members were asleep aboard a scuba diving boat off the south coast of California fire broke out Federal investigators said Thursday that the 34 people in a dormitory under the main deck were killed in the middle of the night. Boats such as the Conception, which caught fire around 3 am on 2 September and then sank, must be watched by a crew member at night.

This comes from the fact that the charred remains of the 75-foot vessel were lifted from the bottom of the ocean on Thursday and will be transported to a hangar where investigators will carefully examine what remains of it.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the tragedy and released a two-page preliminary report that five crew members were sleeping in their quarters on the second bridge and another under the bridge when the fire is declared. The NTSB said that the coastguard declared the major accident at sea.

"Initial interviews with three crew members revealed that no mechanical or electrical problems had been reported," according to the NTSB report. "At the time of the fire, five crew members were sleeping behind the wheelhouse and a crew member was sleeping in the dormitory."

According to the NTSB report, "a member of the crew sleeping in the wheelhouse berths was awoken by a noise and got up to investigate." This crew member alerted the other crew and it was at this point that the captain sent a distress message to the Coast Guard.

The crew also described their efforts to reach the passengers below, while the flames flooded the boat. The report relates a heartbreaking scene: "Unable to use the back ladder on fire, the crew members jumped on the main deck (a crew member broke up). leg during the process) and tried to access the living room compartment and c completely engulfed by the fire at the back and by a thick smoke at the front, through a front window. Open the window and submerged by the smoke, the crew jumped overboard. "

Officials said Thursday that all the victims had been identified and their families informed.

The NTSB report comes as investigators look to determine the cause and try to recover the wreck of the Seabed Design in the middle of a criminal investigation in progress conducted by the FBI, the Coast Guard and the US Attorney's Office. The NTSB's findings are not findings of law enforcement, and criminal investigations can impact the NTSB's ability to interview survivors.

Miscellaneous on Wednesdays recovered the remains of the last victim – One of the dozens of people who died as a result of an inhalation of smoke while they were trapped under a raging fire.

Following the tragedy, the Coast Guard issued additional safety recommendations, such as limiting the unsupervised charge of lithium-ion batteries and the use of power strips and extension cords.

The recommendations also suggest vessel owners and operators to review emergency crew duties, determine emergency exits, check all firefighting and rescue equipment, and evaluate the condition of the accommodation premises for "unsafe practices or other dangerous developments".

Coast Guard records show that the design has passed its two most recent inspections without a security breach. Previous customers have stated that the company owning the vessel, Truth Aquatics, and the captains of its three boats, were very safety conscious.

James Hall, a former NTSB president, told the Associated Press that a preliminary report is usually a summary of initial findings based on interviews, inspection documents and other records, as well as an examination of the maritime rules and regulations in force.

Jonathon Vigliotti and Kris Van Cleave contributed to this report.