Coast Guard implements new rules after deadly 2019 Santa Barbara boat fire

Mario Tama/Getty Images
Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team and other officials work in Santa Barbara Harbor in the aftermath of the 2019 Conception boat fire. Photo credit Mario Tama/Getty Images

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KNX) — The U.S. Coast Guard announced new safety rules on Saturday, two years after a deadly fire that left 34 people dead aboard a boat off the California coast.

The blaze that consumed the Conception in the waters off Santa Barbara was the deadliest marine disaster in recent California history, and resulted in criminal charges and calls for more stringent regulations on smaller passenger boats.

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The rules are set to take effect gradually over the next two years, and include updates to fire system requirements, as well as a duty that boat owners with overnight passengers provide better escape routes from below deck. Such vessels will also need to have a night watchperson on duty, making regular rounds.

The captain of the Conception reportedly failed to post a night watchperson aboard the vessel, which allowed the fire to spread quickly and trap passengers. The captain, Jerry Boylan, and four crew members, all of whom were sleeping above deck, escaped.

Boylan pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter. He is presently free on bail while he awaits trial in Los Angeles federal court.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images