In a preliminary report on the Southern California blaze that erupted on an anchored dive boat and killed 34 people, federal investigators revealed that surviving crew members told them there were no known mechanical or electrical issues with the vessel, and that smoke detectors sounded in the below-deck bunkroom where the victims were sleeping.
The National Transportation Safety Board released the preliminary report on Thursday, a day after divers recovered the body of the final missing victim of the disaster.
The report indicates that there was no night watchman roaming the three-deck vessel when it caught fire, which U.S. Coast Guard officials said is a maritime requirement.
"At the time of the fire, five crewmembers were asleep in berths behind the wheelhouse, and one crewmember was asleep in the bunkroom, which was accessed from the salon down a ladder well in the forward, starboard corner of the compartment," the report states.