Dive boat blaze that killed 34 likely caused by mobile phones charging

A dive boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of California was probably caused by phones left charging overnight, according to investigators.

And safety officials say that the tragedy could have been prevented if the captain and owners of the Conception had posted a roving night watchman, as required by the Coast Guard.

Investigators say that while they cannot definitively give a cause for the fire they believe that the “propensity of lithium ion batteries to overheat” sparked the 2019 blaze.

It has previously been reported that a crew member had recalled seeing sparks when plugging his phone in before bed.