MIAMI (WSVN) - Officials are investigating after, they said, a boat exploded off the coast of Key Biscayne, Saturday morning, sending two men to the hospital with severe burns.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the vessel burst into flames about four miles from shore, at around 11:30 a.m.
The smoke was visible from miles away. Cellphone video captured the boat from a distance as it went up in flames moments after the blast.
Officials said two male passengers in their 40s suffered burns on their lower bodies. Thankfully, a nearby boater was able to render aid. “The patients were removed from the water by good Samaritans and other pleasure boaters,” said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. Vaughn Mulder.
Mulder said, by the time rescue crews arrived, the boaters were already taken to Ryder Trauma Center. “When we arrived to the fire, there was a couple of good Samaritan pleasure boats on scene, a couple of salvage companies, and the patients had already been transported,” he said.
7News cameras captured paramedics taking the men inside the hospital.
Officials tried to save the charred boat as they got the flames under control, but it sank.
Mulder said these types of fires become more common during the summer months. “We’ve had a couple this year,” he said. “It’s usually when the season starts and people’s equipment hasn’t been checked out quite yet.”
That is why, Mulder said, it’s so important for boaters to make a thorough check before leaving the dock. “Safety plan, float plan, those are always the best things to have,” he said. “All of your safety equipment, make sure you have your flares, your flotation.”
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
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