California boat company Truth Aquatics indefinitely suspends tours following deadly Labor Day fire

The California scuba diving boat company facing an investigation for a deadly Labor Day boat fire announced a voluntary indefinite suspension of all tours Tuesday.

Truth Aquatics said it will focus on making its remaining vessels "models of new regulations" as it continues to work with federal authorities after one burst into flames off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, killing 34 people.

The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the Sept. 2 disaster is ongoing. Officials have seized documents from the company's office in Santa Barbara and sent pieces of the salvaged vessel to labs for testing.

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All 33 passengers and one crew member sleeping below deck died in the fire during the planned three-day diving trip to the Channel Islands. Five surviving crew members attempted to reach them, an NTSB report said, but were blocked by flames.

Truth Aquatics has not operated tours since the incident, which has also prompted a federal criminal investigation.

The company's owners filed a federal lawsuit last month, citing a 1851 maritime law that limits their liability. One of the surviving crew members filed another lawsuit, claiming the boat was not seaworthy and the company operated it unsafely.

All six crew members were asleep when the fire started around 3 a.m., authorities said, despite Coast Guard regulations requiring a night watch. A lawyer representing the company has disputed the claim.

A Divers Alert Network fundraiser has raised more than $197,000 for families of the victims, while a GoFundMe campaign has accumulated more than $18,000 for the Truth Aquatics crew members who are out of work.

Contributing: Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California boat fire: Truth Aquatics indefinitely suspends tours