FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A good Samaritan came to the rescue of a man caught in a nautical nightmare after a boat burst into flames off Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the scene of the blaze at 2100 South Ocean Line, Wednesday morning.
A large plume of thick black smoke could be seen for miles after the two-story boat, named Magica, exploded just before 10 a.m.
7Skyforce arrived just minutes after the boat exploded, even making it before fire rescue, and captured aerial footage of smoke billowing into the air.
“You can see smoke rising billowing from this fire,” said 7Skyforce Ralph Rayburn. “It’s fully engulfed; there’s a bunch of folks out here looking at it. There’s no fire rescue. No fire department, folks.”
Just a short while later, multiple agencies responded to the boat fire, including FLFR and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Luckily for the man on board, Frank Jaramillo was already on the ground and would come to his aid.
“We heard a explosion, kind of like a boom, and that’s when we jerked over and saw the big cloud of smoke and flames and him jumping off the back of the boat and into the water,” he said.
Jaramillo said he saw a young man, in his late 20s to early 30s, jump off the boat when it caught fire and that he and other bystanders ran to pull him out.
“It looked like he was in shock. He just kept saying his passport was on the boat,” said Jaramillo.
Jaramillo said the man’s lower extremities were badly burned.
“It was scary, like how fast it went up in flames. Once the fire started, whew, it was like seconds it felt like the whole thing was just one big fireball,” he said. “You could feel the heat from the flames coming.”
Jaramillo called 911 and pulled the injured boater to safety.
Video shared with 7News shows the victim desperately swimming to shore as his boat engulfed in flames.
7Skyforce hovered above the scene as crews spewed water from the fireboats to extinguish the blaze. The vessel was approximately 30-35 feet long and is registered out of Miami Beach.
Firefighters quickly contained the flames on the boat.
Other witnesses said the thick black smoke covered the bright sky.
“It was the smoke. There was so much smoke. It was literally just like filling up the sky. In fact, you couldn’t even see the sun anymore,” said Jeffrey Benet.
It appears the man was experiencing engine trouble before the explosion, as witnesses captured his struggle on camera in Port Everglades.
“It looks like he is in trouble here,” a man could be heard yelling. “Drop that anchor, man.”
He was seen leaving the inlet, but he would not get far.
Fire officials said there’s a series of steps boaters can go over to ensure boating safety and avoid explosions like this one.
“If you do have an inboard engine, do make sure that the blowers are working, make sure it’s properly ventilated before you go to start the engine. Always be aware of the smell of gas,” said FLFR Assistant Chief Stewart Ahearn.
But regardless of what caused the fire, Jaramillo said he’s just glad he was there to help, and he’s praying for the young man’s speedy recovery.
“Oh, I hope he’s doing OK, and everything can be replaced. Don’t worry about the passport. I hope he’s doing OK,” he said.
Officials said the man was transported to Broward Health Medical Center. As of Thursday afternoon, there is no word on his current condition.
This marks the second boat explosion in a couple of days in Fort Lauderdale, with the first sending 11 people to the hospital. Just like this young man, they are all expected to be OK.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Officials said it remains unclear where the man was headed.
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