MIAMI (WSVN) - A charter boat explosion near the Haulover Sandbar in Northeast Miami-Dade sent nearly a dozen people to the hospital in Mother’s Day weekend.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the blast on board the Nauti Nabors, just after 12:45 p.m. on Saturday.
“We just got a possible boat explosion at the fuel dock. Multiple people in the water,” said the police radio.
Witnesses on the scene described what they saw.
“That’s a pretty bad scene. It was an explosion in the bilge of the boat,” said Captain Jack.
“My buddy, who’s a fisherman, was going by, and he said he just heard a boom. You know, it’s a real quick thing ’cause all of that ignites right at once,” said witness Patrick Lee. “When we looked back out, we saw three people flying off the boat and a puff of smoke.”
Video footage shows MDFR crews helping a passenger climb aboard their fire boat and carrying others away on stretchers before rushing them back to shore.
Lee, who has a commercial boat at the dock, said the explosion happened just moments after the group boarded the vessel and was so powerful that it threw people into the water. He believes it could have been avoided.
“His people got on board, and he turned the key and didn’t open the hatches and didn’t turn on the blowers, and he blew people out of the boat,” he said. “He was out there at anchor waiting for his shuttle, waiting for his group of people. People got on. We saw them get on because we had just unloaded a group of people to a boat next door. And man, it wasn’t two minutes later, the explosion.”
Over 25 MDFR units, along with Ocean Rescue and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, rushed to the scene, where they found 15 patients.
“Not a great way to start the summer, that’s for sure,” said Captain Jack.
Due to the severity of the number of people needing treatment and the need for additional resources, the call was upgraded to a Level 2 mass casualty incident.
“Very, very chaotic, ’cause they were trying to figure out if people were still in the water and so on. The lucky thing, it wasn’t far enough away that they couldn’t get to land,” said witness Kirk Sue.
“Injuries were from burn injuries to some traumatic injuries,” said MDFR Battalion Chief Juan Arias.
Multiple ambulances pulled into Ryder Trauma Center as 11 people were rushed in for treatment.
“I just saw a lot of them with burns all over them,” said Lee.
At Haulover Marina, MDFR the U.S. Coast Guard, and FWC were at the scene as they worked to piece together what occurred.
“It’s obvious he didn’t do what procedures are called for, and many rookie captains don’t,” said Lee.
Just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, the boat was towed away.
FWC said this is an active investigation.
Officials have not yet said what the update is for those people who were taken to the hospital.
MDFR officials urge boaters to have safety equipment such as life preservers and fire extinguishers, as well as an experienced boater on board. National Safe Boating Week takes place May 16-22.
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