Coast Guard issues warning on charging phone batteries after California boat fire

The Coast Guard has issued a safety bulletin following the California boat fire that killed 34 people, recommending commercial boat operators limit unsupervised charging of cellphones and other electronic devices.

A brief, preliminary report on the Labor Day fire that destroyed the dive ship Conception near Santa Cruz Island was issued Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board, but it did not address the cause of the fire. The report did note that three crew members said they knew of no mechanical or electrical issues with the boat.

The report said that all six crew members were asleep when the fire broke out. Boats like the Conception, which caught fire around 3 a.m., are required to have a crew member keep watch at night.

The Coast Guard said it has convened a Marine Board of Investigation to determine
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