Posted: 15:47, 22 August 2022 | Updated: 16:40, 22 August 2022
Surveillance video shows the moment a boat exploded and burst into flames at a Florida marina on Sunday.
The video, shared by the Daytona Beach Fire Department, shows the boat at the Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach with several people aboard and one person standing on the dock.
Suddenly the back half of the ship explodes, throwing debris. Firefighters put out the fire and the boat, called the Jumper, sank.
According to the fire department, the explosion occurred shortly after refueling and starting the engine. The boat’s owner later told officials the boat’s blowers were on, which helps remove any gasoline vapors in the engine room.
These vapors caught fire as soon as the craft started, causing the explosion. The investigation into exactly what happened is ongoing as the official cause of the incident is not yet known.
Four people were injured, one of whom was airlifted to an Orlando hospital. The injured victim is said to be a woman in her 50s, who is suffering from serious burns.
A motorboat at the Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach, Florida, exploded around 1 p.m.
The explosion occurred while the vessel was being refueled. The boat’s owner told officials the boat’s blowers were on, which helps remove any gasoline vapors in the engine room
The other three people in the incident were treated at the scene after they refused to be taken to the hospital, according to the Daytona Beach Fire Department.
Local boater Vincent Krause was sailing out of the marina around 1pm on Sunday when he saw the boat explode.
“We were on our way to help them make sure everything was OK, but he had been rescued there before,” he told WKMG.
The vessel was recovered from the marina, despite being 85% submerged after the fire.
“I could see the bow tail and part of the back,” Lori Brennan, who witnessed the incident from the marina, also told the local news agency. “It was a very large vessel.”
“It’s sad to see more than anything else,” said Ilene Jones, another boater. “Someone must have had a bad day.”
The Daytona Beach Fire Department told DailyMail.com that 85 percent of the boat was underwater after the fire, before it was towed away.
DailyMail.com contacted the Daytona Beach Fire Department to inquire about the injured woman.
One of the most common causes of boats exploding is improper ventilation during refueling or failure of the blower system before the engine restarts, according to the Kansas-based law firm of Presley & Presley, which specializes in catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths.
It is considered vital to start ventilation before starting motorboats because fuel vapors are often found in the engine compartment.
Ventilation brings fresh air and removes fumes from a boat’s bilge, otherwise static electricity can start a fire and cause the boat to explode.
An estimated 250 boat explosions occur in the United States each year, according to The Doan Law Firm.
A spokesperson for the Daytona Beach Fire Department told DailyMail.com that boat fires happen on average once a year in the area and they “just get away” when it does.
TMX contributed to this story.
