33 passengers and one crew member died in a fire on the 23-metre commercial scuba-diving boat Conception (Truth Aquatics Inc.), which was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, California, 3rd September 2019. Five crew members escaped alive. The victims were all sleeping below deck in the wood and fibreglass vessel. The crew members who survived were sleeping elsewhere on the boat and on waking tried to reach the passenger compartment but were blocked by fire and smoke. The latest inspection of the boat in summer 2018 found no fire safety deficiencies. Questions are being asked that safety regulations should be modified to require more than one escape route from passenger quarters. Strict maritime fire safety requirements have to date limited fire deaths on recreational boats: below 1% of accidental deaths according to US Coast Guards data for 2009-2018.
Media: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49681130 and https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/02/california-boat-fire-santa-cruz-island/2190570001/