Surveillance footage captures the moment a boat EXPLODES at the Florida Marina – injuring four people and airlifting a woman to a nearby hospital
- The fire happened around 1 p.m. Sunday at the Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach
- The boat called the Jumper was being refueled when the explosion went off
- Its fumes caught fire as soon as the boat was launched, likely causing the explosion
- Several people were on board and one person on the dock is seen running away from the fire
- A total of four people were injured, including a woman in her 50s with severe burns who was flown to an Orlando hospital
- An estimated 250 boat explosions occur in the United States each year
Surveillance video shows the moment a boat exploded and burst into flames at a Florida marina on Sunday.
Footage shared by the Daytona Beach Fire Department shows the boat at Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach with several people on board and one person standing on the dock.
Suddenly the back half of the boat explodes and debris flies around. Firefighters put out the fire and the boat named Jumper sank.
According to the fire department, the explosion happened shortly after refueling and starting the engine. The boat’s owner later told officials that the ship’s fans were on, which helps remove any gasoline fumes in the engine room.
These fumes caught fire as soon as the boat was launched, causing the explosion. An investigation into what exactly happened is ongoing as the official cause of the incident has not yet been released.
Four people were injured, one of whom was airlifted to an Orlando hospital. The injured victim is believed to be a woman in her 50s suffering from severe burns.
A motorboat at the Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach, Fla., exploded around 1 p.m. Sunday, injuring four people, including a woman who was flown to an Orlando hospital with severe burns
The explosion occurred while the ship was being refueled. The boat’s owner told officers that the watercraft’s fans were on, which is helping to remove any gasoline fumes in the engine room
The three other people in the incident were treated at the scene after refusing to be taken to the hospital, according to the Daytona Beach Fire Department.
Local boatman Vincent Kraus was setting sail from the marina around 1 p.m. Sunday when he witnessed the boat’s explosion.
“We were on our way to help them make sure everything was okay, but it was saved there before,” he told WKMG.
The boat was pulled out of the marina despite being 85 percent sunk after the fire.
“I could see the bow stern and part of the back,” Laurie Brennan, who witnessed the incident from the marina, also told local news outlets. “It was a very large ship.”
“It’s sad to see more than anything,” said Ilene Jones, another boater. ‘Someone was definitely having a bad day.’
The Daytona Beach Fire Department told that 85 percent of the boat was submerged after the fire before it was towed
has contacted the Daytona Fire Beach Department to inquire about the injured woman.
According to the Kansas-based law firm Presley & Presley, which specializes in catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths, one of the most common causes of boat explosions is inadequate ventilation during refueling or failure of the blower system before the engine is reignited.
It is considered important to start ventilation before turning on power boats, since fuel vapors are often found in the engine compartment.
Ventilation brings fresh air and removes fumes from a boat’s bilge, or static electricity can start a fire and cause the boat to explode.
According to law firm The Doan, an estimated 250 boat explosions occur in the United States each year.
A spokesman for the Daytona Beach Fire Department told that boats catching fire happen in the area on average once a year and “just walk away” when one happens.
TMX contributed to this story.