Michael Quitasol, Fernisa Sison, Angela Quitasol, Nicole Quitasol and Evan Quitasol Among Dead in Dive Boat Blaze [SANTA BARBARA, CA]

Fil-Am Family of 5 Celebrating Michael Quitasol’s Birthday Killed in South California Boat Fire

 
SANTA BARBARA, CA (September 2, 2019) – Five members of a Filipino American family from Stockton are believed to be among the 34 people who died in a tragic boat fire near the Channel Islands early Monday.
 
Michael Quitasol, his three daughters, Angela, Nicole and Evan, and their stepmother, Fernisa Sison, were celebrating Michael’s birthday with a luxurious three-day excursion when the dive boat Conception caught fire. They were trapped in their sleeping quarters below deck whose passages were blocked by the fire.
 
According to a report, Evanmichel Quitasol was a nurse at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton. Nicole Storm Quitasol worked as a bartender at Nicky Rottens Bar and Burger in Coronado. Angela Rose Quitasol was a science teacher at Sierra Middle School in Stockton.
 
Both Michael Quitasol and Fernisa Sison worked at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Central Valley, according to news reports.
 
As of Tuesday morning, the remains of 20 people, 11 female and 9 male, have been found. Fourteen people are still missing. Thirty-nine people were on board when the fire broke out. Officials said there was little hope of finding anyone else alive.
 
Five crew members, who had been awake and jumped overboard, survived the devastating fire. A sixth crew member who was asleep in the same area as the passengers is feared to be dead.
 
The other victims who have been identified were: Neal Baltz, Patricia Beitzinger, Allie Kurtz, Scott Chan, Kendra Chan, Berenice Felipe, Tia Salika, Steve Salika, Diana Adamic, Charles McIlvain, Marybeth Guiney, Lisa Fiedler, Mike Kohls, and Kristy Finstad.
 
Family and friends of the Quitasols are grieving the devastating loss.
 
Dozens of people gathered in the hospital chapel at St. Joseph’s on Tuesday morning to pray for the family.
 
The fire exploded so quickly the crew would not have been able to reach the people sleeping below to save them, officials said. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.

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We would like to extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the loved ones and friends of the victims. We hope they find strength and comfort as they grieve over their loss.

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