FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Two men, one with potentially serious injuries, were taken to the hospital after, officials said, a boat exploded in Fort Lauderdale, Saturday evening.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to the scene near Northeast 18th Street and Bayview Drive, just after 5 p.m. Crews arrived to find neighbors were already assisting the victims.
Officials said the men were working on a 34-foot cabin cruiser in the canal that runs behind the neighborhood residences when the explosion occurred.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Marshal Jeff Lucas said the blast appears to have been accidental. “It looks like they may have put fuel into the wrong tank, maybe into the water tank or into the bilge, and tried to siphon it out,” he said. “We haven’t spoken to everyone yet, so it’s still under investigation.”
One victim was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital as a trauma alert. Officials said he sustained burns to between 40 and 50 percent of his body.
The second victim was transported to Broward Health Medical Center with less severe injuries.
Explosion under investigation, burn patient transferred to @JacksonHealth appears to be a bad accident https://t.co/Kray8FjxUI
— Fire Marshal Jeffrey Lucas (@FLFR_Marshal) July 3, 2016
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