Man hospitalized after boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale; second boat explosion this week
Just before 9:30 a.m., Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue received multiple 911 calls about a boat explosion and fire just north of the Port Everglades cut on the south end of Fort Lauderdale beach, according to Frank Guzman, a spokesperson for the agency.
There was one man on board the 30-foot boat, Guzman said. After the explosion, he jumped into the water and swam to shore with burn injuries. Paramedics took him to Broward Health Medical Center, where his condition is serious but not life-threatening.
Fireboats from Fort Lauderdale and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue arrived to put out the boat fire, which took about 30 to 40 minutes to extinguish, Guzman said. The cause remains unknown. The fire investigator had just arrived on scene late Wednesday morning.
Wednesday's explosion comes only two days after a boat explosion and fire on Memorial Day that severely injured 11 people. That explosion was caused by fuel vapors igniting, Guzman said, though officials still do not know what caused them to ignite.
Flash fire on boat near Fort Lauderdale sandbar caused by fuel vapors igniting
Fort Lauderdale has now had four boat explosions in about six months, Guzman said, which is above average for the timeframe; the city typically sees four to six boat explosions in a year.
Two other boat explosions in December were also caused by fuel vapors igniting. On Dec. 23, one person was killed and six people were injured after an explosion at the Lauderdale Marina.
'This serves as an important reminder to all boaters to check their equipment,' Guzman said.
This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Girls in Fort Lauderdale watercraft tragedy are prominent New York rabbi's kids
The teenage girl killed and the girl seriously injured in Tuesday's Fort Lauderdale personal watercraft crash are daughters of a rabbi and rebbitzin prominent in Queens, New York's Bukharian Jewish community, according to social media posts and online databases. Tuesday night posts from Instagram account bukhariancommunity identified the 14-year-old girl killed as Rachel Aliza Nisanov and her 16-year-old sister as Aviva Bracha Nisanov, daughters of Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov and Rebbitzin Ora Nisanov. Authorities have not released the names of the girls. Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov heads the Bukharian Jewish synagogue Kehliat Sephardim of Ahavat Achim, which runs a popular food pantry that distributes kosher food to all communities. Ora Nisanov's biography on the website for Bat Melech community center, where she works, , says Rachel and Aviva are two of the Nisanovs' eight children. Both girls attended Bnos Malka Academy, an all-girls yeshiva in Forest Hills about two and a half miles from the family's Kew Gardens Hill home and where their parents were honored in 2023 at the school's annual dinner. According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue's Frank Guzman, Rachel and Aviva were riding tandem on a personal watercraft on the Intracoastal Waterway near the 2800 block of Northeast 24th Court in Fort Lauderdale when they smashed into a dock around 3:30 p.m. Paramedics rushed the sisters to Broward Medical Center, where Rachel died Tuesday evening, said Arielle Callender, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Her sister Aviva is in critical condition in the ICU, a spokesperson for Broward Medical said Wednesday. FWC is leading the crash investigation. The crash comes just two weeks and a day after a barge struck a sailboat with Miami Yacht Club summer campers. Two girls died within hours, and a third girl died two days later at Jackson Memorial Hospital. READ MORE: A third child in the Biscayne Bay barge-sailboat crash has died, yacht club says
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Miami Herald
Federal grand jury charges Florida Keys boat captain in a 2022 parasailing death
A federal grand jury charged a Florida Keys boat captain with the death of an Illinois woman who was killed after the parasail she and two children were attached to slammed into the Old Seven Mile Bridge on Memorial Day in 2022. The U.S. Attorney's Office charged 52-year-old Daniel Couch with one count of seaman's manslaughter following the Aug. 7 indictment. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. Couch was at the helm of a 31-foot boat owned by Lighthouse Parasail out of the Middle Keys city of Marathon, towing Supraja Alaparthi, 33, her 10-year-old son and her 9-year old nephew, who were tethered to a parasail harness several feet in the air behind the vessel around 5 p.m. May 30, 2022. READ MORE: Family of mom whose parasail hit Florida Keys' Old Seven Mile Bridge takes new action A strong storm gust snagged the parasail making it difficult for Couch and his mate to lower Alaparthi and the children, investigators say. The 'pegged' parasail also risked dragging the boat, investigators said. It was Couch's next move that proved fatal and landed him in trouble with the law. Instead of steering the boat side to side and employing other options in which experts say were appropriate to lessen the wind underneath the parasail, Couch took a knife and cut the cable that attached the boat to the harness. He thought the move would cause Alaparthi and the boys to drop to the ocean surface so he could pick them up. Instead, the wind dragged the parasail with the family in tow for miles before they crashed into the iconic span that connects Knights Key in Marathon with Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. READ MORE: Captain cut parasailing cable before mom and kids slammed into Keys bridge, police say Alaparthi was pronounced dead at a nearby restaurant that rescuers used as a staging area. Her son suffered minor injuries, and her nephew was seriously injured. Florida Fish and Wlidlife Conservation Commission investigators said Couch did not maneuver his boat under the bridge to try to release the family after they hit the span and were trapped in the parasail. Instead, a flats fishing guide who watched the situation unfold sped his boat to the bridge to rescue the woman and children. His two charter passengers performed CPR on Alaparthi and the seriously injured child as the guide took them to paramedics waiting at the restaurant. READ MORE: Boat driver charged in deadly parasailing crash into a Florida Keys bridge The Monroe County State Attorney's Office charged Couch with manslaughter in September 2022. Though he has pleaded not guilty, that case is still pending, said Chief Assistant State Attorney Joseph Mansfield. In the FWC report that led to the state charge, invistigators noted the National Weather Service forecasted high winds, heavy rains and thunderstorms just before Couch took the family out on the water that day. It was not immediately known Monday whether Couch was in custody. Information about his legal representation in the federal case was not immediately available.
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin police rank 6th for DUI arrests, per AAIM, falling from last year
The Elgin Police Department ranked in the top 10 law enforcement agencies making the most drunk driving arrests in 2024, though the ranking dropped from last year's second-place berth. The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) released the results of its Illinois DUI Arrest Survey for 2024 that showed Elgin ranked number six. Elgin had 245 DUI arrests, the survey showed. 'Each arrest reflects the hard work and dedication of the officers who put themselves on the line every day. Their efforts help protect lives and prevent families from experiencing the pain of a crash,' said Rita Kreslin, AAIM executive director, in a press release. Last year, Elgin Police Department made 282 arrests to achieve the second-place spot. The change could be a result of different factors, like people using rideshare services to avoid drinking and driving or people staying at home more, said Elgin Sgt. Hector Gutierrez, the department's public information officer. EPD does 'no refusal' campaigns during holidays, including Memorial Day weekend. They allow police to work with prosecutors to obtain a seach warrant against drivers who refuse to take a breathalyzer, blood or urine test during a drunk driving stop or investigation, according to the Kane County State's attorney's office. A campaign is coming up for Labor Day weekend, Gutierrez said. 'We are going to be looking for intoxicated drivers on the roadway to keep everyone safe,' he said. 'Hopefully those (campaigns) resonate with people, and they are taking safety precautions,' Gutierrez said. AAIM's survey showed Det. Paul Dublinski had 22 DUI arrests in Elgin last year. Dublinski is a veteran officer who routinely has the highest number of DUI arrests in the department. 'We have officers who really care about getting DUI drivers off the roadway and making the streets safer for the community,' Gutierrez said. AAIM is an Illinois-only citizen activist group founded in 1982 by victims of drunk driving. Its survey, which started 35 years ago, had an 81% response rate from nearly 700 police agencies around the state in 2024. The survey showed the top 10 police departments were: Aurora remained the first in the state for the second year in a row. Naperville had one of the largest increases in arrests from 2023 to 2024, 51.8%, along with West Chicago, which had a 31.2% increase. The sheriff's department reporting the most DUI arrests was Winnebago County with 387. The top five list included McHenry County with 189 arrests, Cook County with 155, Lake County with 136, and Will County with 133. 'Enforcing DUI laws is demanding but essential work. The entire AAIM organization sincerely appreciates the officers' daily sacrifice, dedication to public safety, and efforts to save lives. We deeply value their constant commitment,' Kreslin said, in the release.
