Rough Seas Force Suspension of Search for Final Victim of Dive Boat Fire
SANTA BARBARA (CBS/AP) -- The search for the final victim of a boat fire off the Southern California coast has been suspended until early next week because of gusty winds and rough seas.
Authorities said they also suspended efforts to salvage the Conception off of Santa Cruz Island because the conditions were expected to last through the weekend.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Lt. Erik Raney says the Conception has been secured underwater, where it will remain until it is safe to resume the salvage operation.
Thirty-four scuba divers died when the boat caught fire and sank before dawn on Monday. They were sleeping in a cramped bunkroom below the main deck and their escape routes were blocked by fire.
Medical examiners say the victims appear to have died from smoke inhalation.
Authorities in Santa Barbara on Friday released the names of 22 people who died in the fire, including seven from the Bay Area.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said Friday 23 of the total 34 victims had been identified. However, one victim's name was not released pending notification of family.
The 22 names that Brown released Friday include Bay Area residents Raymond "Scott" Chan, 59, of Los Altos; Daniel Garcia, 46, of Berkeley; Yulia Krashennaya, 40, of Berkeley; Caroline McLaughlin, 35, of Oakland; Carol Diana Adamic, 60, of Santa Cruz; Steven Salika, 55, of Santa Cruz and Tia Salika-Adamic, 17, of Santa Cruz.
Chan, who was a physics teacher at American High School in Fremont and his daughter Kendra have previously been named as victims in the tragic boat fire.
In addition, the city of Santa Cruz has identified Kristina Finstad, a former city employee, as another victim with ties to the Bay Area.
A total of 39 passengers -- including five crewmembers that were the only survivors -- were aboard the boat when the blaze started.
A vigil for the victims was held Friday evening at Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara.
In addition to the Bay Area victims, the sheriff released the names of 18 others on Friday after making contact with their families: Justin Carroll Dignam 58, of Anaheim; Marybeth Guiney, 51, of Santa Monica; Alexandra Kurtz, 26, of Santa Barbara; Ted Strom, 62, of Germantown, Tennessee; Wei Tan, 26, of Goleta; Kendra Chan, 26, of Oxnard; Angela Rose Quitasol, 28, of Stockton; Evan Michel Quitasol, 37, of Stockton; Nicole Storm Quitasol, 31, of Imperial Beach; Michael Quitasol, 62, of Stockton; Andrew Fritz, 40, of Sacramento; Charles McIlvain, 44, of Santa Monica; Neal Gustav Baltz, 42, of Phoenix; Patricia Ann Beitzinger, 48, of Chandler, Arizona; and Vaidehi Campbell, 41, of Felton.
© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report
