VIDEO: The captain of the Conception dive boat that caught fire near Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day 2019 is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday for criminal negligence in the deaths of all 33 passengers, including two Santa Monica residents, and a crew member. Jerry Boylan faces up to 10 years in federal prison. The federal criminal jury in downtown Los Angeles returned its guilty verdict last Nov. 6 on the single charged count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer, a pre-Civil War law also known as seaman's manslaughter, at the end of the first day of deliberations. The fire is considered the worst maritime disaster in modern California history. "This ship captain's unpardonable cowardice led to the deaths of 34 lives," Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement.  

A fire in a commercial building in Fresno prompted a HAZMAT team response on Wednesday afternoon. According to fire officials, warehouse employees in the area of Home and Sierra Vista Avenues reported a fire in the warehouse and adjacent buildings around 2:30 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters say they found light smoke coming from the building. The building contains chemicals used for manufacturing, so the HAZMAT Team was requested. As a precaution, fire officials say the building next door was evacuated as well. The HAZMAT team was able to safely move the chemicals away so that the fire could be extinguished. No injuries were reported during this incident. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.  

A 36-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to arson charges, including a hate crime allegation, after he was arrested in connection with two fires that authorities say were set in Yucaipa. One of the fires damaged a church. Jonathan Nava of Albuquerque, New Mexico, entered his pleas on Monday, April 29, in Superior Court in San Bernardino via closed circuit television from West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He was charged with two counts of arson of an inhabited structures and one count of arson to terrorize. Places of worship, courthouses, public libraries and places that provide abortion counseling are among those covered by the terrorism statute in the state Penal Code. Battalion Chief Alison Hesterly, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire's San Bernardino Unit, declined to say why the department believes Nava targeted the church, citing the ongoing case.  

PHOTOS: A fire crew with the Roseville Fire Department was not called to rescue the typical cat stuck in a tree on Wednesday, but a duckling in a storm drain. When calls came in for a duckling stuck in a storm drain and no animal control officers on duty, the members of Engine 6 responded. The team was able to find the suspect storm drain and located on the duckling that they successfully rescued. After the rescue, the duckling was brought to the Bird and Pet Clinic of Roseville where it was given a clean bill of health before being handed off to the Gold County Wildlife Rescue.  

PHOTOS: A major truck fire on I-95 south between exits 15 and 14 in Norwalk has shut down the interstate. State police say it happened around 5:30 a.m. The large fire involved a petroleum tractor-trailer, a tanker and a car. The tanker truck was carrying 8,500 gallons of petroleum, fire officials say. There were no fatalities in the incident, officials say. Gov. Ned Lamont said this morning that the highway is anticipated to be closed for a significant period in the area. Lamont recommended staying away from the area due to traffic jams. There is no word yet on when the road will reopen. Fire officials said the flames were put out within an hour, with extensive damage caused to the Fairfield Avenue overpass bridge. They also said a firefighter sustained a leg injury and was taken to Norwalk Hospital.  

Governor Ivey signed a proclamation recognizing Dothan's HeartSafe initiative, Tuesday. Leaders from the Southeast Health Medical Center and Dothan Fire Department visited the state capitol for Governor Ivey to recognize Dothan as the state's first HeartSafe city. The HeartSafe program has trained over 7,000 people for CPR. Over 70 businesses are also receiving training. The Southeast Health Foundation and the Fire Department are hopeful this will inspire other cities in the state. "This project, this initiative, has taken us 6 years since its inception. It is really nice to be recognized for the efforts," Amy Bunting with the Southeast Health Foundation said. "There are over 350,000 sudden cardiac deaths a year. By having trained people in our community, having someone that can start hands-only CPR or CPR on a patient that needs it, increases the survivability of our community which makes us safer and whole, and a better community all together," Dothan Fire Chief Chris Etheredge said.  

PHOTOS: What may be the largest structure fire in Tri-Cities history is continuing to burn 10 days after it started, sending toxic smoke from burning plastic and other materials drifting over nearby homes. Fire officials still don't know what sparked the destructive blaze at Lineage Logistics' Kennewick cold storage warehouse, but Benton Fire District 1 has asked for help from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The fire district has no reason to suspect the cause of the fire was suspicious, but needs the additional resources of the federal agency to determine the cause, Jenna Kochenauer, the Benton County Fire District 1 public information officer, told the Herald on Wednesday. The mostly volunteer rural fire department has limited staff, and the federal agency has better equipment to get into the partially collapsed building that covers nearly 12 acres.  

A scuba dive boat captain was scheduled to be sentenced by a federal judge Thursday on a conviction of criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel nearly five years ago. The Sept. 2, 2019, blaze was the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history, and prompted changes to maritime regulations, congressional reform and several ongoing lawsuits. Captain Jerry Boylan was found guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer last year. The charge is a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as seaman's manslaughter that was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters. Boylan's appeal is ongoing. He faces up to 10 years behind bars.