Former NTSB investigator says recovery of Conception wreckage is key to understanding deadly dive boat fire
Dr. Alan Diehl, former NTSB human factors investigator, describes the challenge of working with submerged physical evidence.
Authorities in California on Tuesday identified five additional victims of last week's fatal dive boat fire.
The five victims, all from California, were ID'd as: Adrian Dahood-Fritz, 40, of Sacramento; Lisa Fiedler, 52, of Mill Valley; Kristina "Kristy" Finstad, 41, of Santa Cruz; Fernisa Sison, 57, of Stockton; and Kristian Takvam, 34, of San Francisco.
Finstad, a marine biologist who led the scuba tour, had led hundreds of dives in the Channel Islands. She had just returned from spending several years sailing across the Pacific with her husband.
Kristina “Kristy” Finstad, 41, of Santa Cruz, Calif. (Facebook)
Fiedler, a Michigan native, was a hairdresser and photographer who thought of herself as "part fish" because of her ocean addiction.
CALIFORNIA DIVE BOAT OWNERS FILE LAWSUIT TO AVOID LIABILITY AFTER DEADLY FIRE
Lisa Fiedler, 52, of Mill Valley (Facebook)
The other three victims identified Tuesday were on the boat with co-workers and loved ones.
Sison's husband, Michael Quitasol, and her three stepdaughters also perished in the fire. Sison and Quitasol worked at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Stockton.
Fernisa Sison, 57, of Stockton (Facebook)
Dahood-Fritz and her husband, professional photographer Andrew Fritz, also both died in the blaze. Dahood-Fritz had recently started a job as a senior environmental scientist for California's Ocean Protection Council under the California Natural Resources Agency.
Adrian Dahood-Fritz, 40, of Sacramento (Facebook)
Takvam was a vice president of engineering at the education platform Brilliant in San Francisco. His coworker, Carrie McLaughlin, also died.
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Fox 11 reports that investigators have identified 27 of the 33 people whose remains were recovered from the wreckage of the Conception. Authorities said efforts to find the final victim and salvage the Conception are expected to continue Wednesday.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the victims, 21 women and 13 men from 16 to 62 years old, appear to have died from smoke inhalation before they were burned. Five of six crew members, including the captain, survived after multiple efforts to rescue the dozens trapped below deck.
As part of the investigation, the FBI is seeking photos and videos related to the fire as multiple agencies examine whether the captain and boat owners followed safety requirements.
Click for more from FOX 11 Los Angeles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
