LAUDERDALE LAKES, FLA. (WSVN) - A Lauderdale Lakes man is on a long and difficult road to recovery after a boat fire that ignited in his driveway left him with severe burns all over his body, and now his fiancée is speaking out about the ordeal.
Forty-year-old Jean Roseau has a passion for boats and the water. On Thursday evening, he was working on his vessel when it burst into flames.
Cellphone video from a witness captured the boat fully engulfed.
“Oh, my God,” a witness is heard saying in the video.
People rushed to help Roseau, including his fiancée, Monique Evans.
Speaking with 7News on Friday, Evans said she was inside their home when she heard an explosion.
“I ran out ’cause he was screaming for me,” she said. ‘Babe, babe, I’m on fire,’ and then I could see the fire on his shirt.”
The couple’s boat was parked in the driveway, and it quickly turned into a bright ball of orange flames.
Video captured thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Evans said her only focus was healping her fiancé.
“It’s like, you just go into panic to save him,” said Evans.
The blaze destroyed the 20-foot boat, as well a small section of the couple’s house, located along the 3500 block of Northwest 33rd Street.
“Oh, my God, the house is on fire. Oh, my God,” a witness is heard saying in the cellphone video.
Area resident Maureen Charles told 7News the flames spread quickly.
“I ran out, and the fire was, like, it was coming across here very fast, and it was very massive,” she said.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue crews worked fast to prevent the fire from spreading to any other homes.
Evans says her fiancé noticed a problem with the boat earlier on Thursday.
“First he said that he just saw a little leak of gas, and then he came inside, and he was getting something to, I guess, clean it up.” she said, “and then I guess, I think he took, like, the blower to probably help clean it or whatever, and then, that’s when I heard the loud boom.”
The fire was so intense that Roseau suffered third-degree burns on more than 40% of his body. He is now recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
“We’re happy that he’s breathing on his own,” said Evans.
Firefighters are still investigating the fire.
As for Evans, she has a word of advice for boat owners.
“Don’t try to work on a boat by yourself. Don’t try to fix anything that you’re not familiar with,” she said. “Get someone that’s trained, because he’s very good at mechanics, but certain things, maybe just get help.”
Roseau is in the healthcare industry, involving the care of seniors.
His family set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses related to his recovery. If you would like to make a donation, click here.
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