Memorial Day weekend chaos: Boats burn, crash and sink on Colorado River, Lake Havasu
Two boats sank and numerous others were involved in crashes and fires on the Colorado River and Lake Havasu in northwestern Arizona through the Memorial Day weekend, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.
A dozen deputies patrolled up and down the lower Colorado River, on the water at Lake Havasu and through Topock and Davis Camp in Bullhead City, according to a Facebook post from the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies dealt with more than 260 boaters, handing out 30 citations, the post said.
They also investigated nine boat crashes that included injuries, five without injuries, assisted 29 boaters, performed six water rescues and responded to nine medical emergencies, the Sheriff's Office reported.
On Lake Havasu, two separate boat fires happened on back-to-back days, along with two boat sinkings.
On May 23, a boat caught fire at the Crazy Horse Marina. The boat operator suffered burns to his face and arms but was able to jump from the vessel, the Sheriff's Office confirmed. The fully engulfed boat was extinguished by patrol boats.
On May 24, a boat launched at Havasu Riviera before bursting into flames. The operator was able to jump into the water without injuries, and a fire boat from the San Bernardino County Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the blaze, the Facebook post detailed. The boat sank to the bottom of the lake, closing the launch ramp and delaying others, the Sheriff's Office confirmed.
A vehicle and trailer were reported to have gone underwater the same day at Lake Havasu State Park, prompting deputies to send divers out, but no one was found inside the vehicle, the Sheriff's Office said.
A boat crashed the same day on the Colorado River near the sandbar, with multiple people injured, the Sheriff's Office said. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was investigating the incident.
On May 25, deputies responded to reports of a boat sinking in the north basin of the lake near Crazy Horse Campground. It sank after striking a large wave, causing water to come onboard, but eight people were able to safely escape, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The boat operator was cited for having children under the age of 13 on the boat without a life jacket, the Sheriff's Office confirmed.
Reach reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at rcovarrubias@gannett.com. Follow him on X, Threads and Bluesky @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Boat crashes, fires dominate Memorial Day weekend on Arizona waterways
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