Crew members of the California diving boat that killed 34 people when it went up in flames insist that they desperately tried to save passengers, but their efforts were in vain as the blaze overcame the ship, according to new reports.

Jennifer Homendy, who is overseeing the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the deadly Labor Day incident — said the intensity of the fire prevented the crew members from helping the passengers.

“What’s emerging from the interviews [with the crew] is a harrowing story of the last few minutes before the boat was engulfed in flames,” she said. “They felt that they had done what they could do in a very panicked situation.”

At least one crew member told investigators he awoke to a noise when the fire first broke out, according to The Los Angeles Times.

“The galley area was engulfed in flames,” Homendy said, sharing the crew member’s account of the horrifying moments. “They tried to enter through the double doors but couldn’t get in because of the flames. They tried to access the galley from the front through the windows, but the windows wouldn’t open.”

One of the crew members broke his leg as he jumped from the boat — and two other members grabbed a skiff, picked up their colleague and brought him to a good Samaritan vessel, Homendy said, the outlet reported.

After that, they contacted authorities and “returned to the vessel to find survivors,” according to Homendy.

The same crew member who initially heard the sound looked over the side of the boat, where he saw flames shooting up, the NTSB official said.

“He heard no smoke alarm, he smelled no smoke, but he did see flames when he looked over,” she said. “They didn’t hear anything.”

“The ladder was engulfed in flames,” Homendy added, so the crew member couldn’t use it.

The entrance, and the escape hatch too, were blocked by flames, Homendy said, according to the Times.

“They just couldn’t get in,” she said.

“What I shared with you is from what we heard from them,” Homendy said, according to CNN. “So now it’s our job to take that and develop a timeline.”

The NTSB will evaluate whether any “issues with evacuation or responses” or “escape survival factors” played a role, she added.

Officials announced Wednesday that rescuers have found all but one of the bodies of the 34 people aboard the ill-fated boat.