Memorial for victims of 'Conception' continues growing following deadly fire

Victims of deadly Conception boat fire memorialized

The Coast Guard and officials from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties have now been joined by the NTSB. Preliminary reports indicate that reported explosions aboard the Conception did not precede reports of fire.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A fruitless search for survivors after Monday's tragic boat fire has come to an end.

The rescue mission is now a recovery mission. 34 people are now presumed dead. 20 bodies have already been removed from the ocean where the Conception vessel caught fire early in the morning during a 3-day diving excursion. Efforts are ongoing for divers to find and remove the rest of the bodies.

Community mourns loss after Conception boat fire

Relatives, friends and the diving community are in mourning following a deadly boat fire off the coast of Santa Crus Island.

It's now up to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Coroner's Office to identify those victims. Investigators will be using DNA samples from relatives to attempt to make those identifications. Two of those victims are from Santa Monica.

Two of the victims aboard Conception from L.A. County

Two of the victims aboard the Conception boat, when it caught on fire, are from Santa Monica.

A memorial for the victims continues to grow at the Sea Landing Center at the Santa Barbara Harbor.

Five crew members escaped the fire and have given written statements to investigators but have not yet been interviewed. NTSB and FBI officials are now joining in the investigation.