Boat on which 34 died in fire was exempt from latest safety rules, records show

LOS ANGELES - The Conception dive boat, on which 34 people died in a Labor Day fire, had been exempted by the U.S. Coast Guard from stricter safety rules designed to make it easier for passengers to escape, documents and interviews by the Los Angeles Times show.

The Conception was one of about 325 small passenger vessels built before 1996 and given special exemptions from safety standards that the Coast Guard imposed on new vessels, some of which required larger escape hatches and illuminated exit signs, records show.

The rules require vessels to have an escape hatch of at least 32 inches wide and exit signs that are illuminated. The Conception, built in 1981, had an escape hatch that was only 24 inches wide, according to several federal regulators who requested anonymity in order to speak on the matter. It also did not have illuminated exit signs.

It's unclear whether such measures would have made a difference on the Conception, on which passengers on a weekend diving expedition were trapped in the hull during