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CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Second boat explosion in 6 months injures 11 near Fort Lauderdale sandbar
For the second time in less than six months, a boat explosion has rocked the waters off Fort Lauderdale, this time injuring 11 people and prompting a multi-agency emergency response near a popular sandbar. Surveillance video captured the moment the vessel, which had 15 people on board, exploded near 15th Street Fisheries shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. Explosion caught on video Captain Cole Sisler, who recorded the explosion, said he has seen similar incidents before and noted that gasoline vapors from the carburetor or fuel vents can ignite during fueling or mechanical issues. "It's something I've seen many times before unfortunately," Sisler said. "What happens unfortunately with these boats is, especially during fueling or mechanical issues, the gasoline vapors from the carburetor, fuel vents, will billow in the engine department." Bret Triano, who witnessed the explosion from his dinghy, described a large fireball and people falling from the boat. He said he helped rescue a man he saw flailing in the water. "When they went to start their boat up, it just exploded," Triano said. "There was a huge fire ball and people were kind of falling off the boat." Injuries, investigation ongoing The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that 11 people were injured. A dog on board was also rescued and is in good health. Antonio Rivera, who was on the boat with his 7- and 5-year-old sons, said outside the hospital that his family suffered burns in the explosion. "Burned in the boat explosion just now. We tried to fuel up the boat and it must've been a gas leak and a spark went off and an explosion," Rivera said. "My wife and my kids, they'll be okay, there's nothing permanent, but they did get third degree burns." Two children and two adults are in critical condition, four adults are in serious condition and two others are listed in good condition. All 10 patients are expected to remain at Jackson Memorial Hospital for at least another night, authorities said. Second explosion since December Authorities noted that this marks at least the second boat explosion in the same area in under six months. In December, a separate explosion left one man dead and several others injured. Multiple agencies are currently investigating the cause of Monday's incident.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Video shows moment boat explodes near Fort Lauderdale sandbar, sending victims into the water
A dramatic video shows the terrifying moment a boat exploded near a Fort Lauderdale sandbar on Memorial Day, hurling several people , including two children, into the water in a burst of flames. The video, taken just before 6 p.m. Monday near Lauderdale Marina, captures the boat bursting into fire and victims tumbling overboard. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said 13 people were onboard, including a dog. Ten of them, eight adults and two children ages 5 and 7, were rushed to the hospital. The children were taken to the burn unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital and are in fair condition, while the adults are listed in good condition. Boat explosion caught on video The explosion occurred near 9th Street, in a popular boating area where sandbars attract holiday crowds. Fire officials said the boat was anchored when it suddenly erupted. The video showed the blast followed by frantic splashing as bystanders jumped into the water to help. Bret Triano, who was nearby at the time, said the boat had just been refueled when it exploded. "There was a huge fireball and people were kind of falling off the boat," he said. "One man was yelling, 'Save me, please don't let me die, I'm so hot, I need water.'" Triano and others rushed over in a dinghy to pull victims from the water as others called 911. Burned father says gas leak may be to blame Antonio Rivera, one of the burn victims, said he believes a fuel leak may have caused the explosion. "We tried to fuel up the boat and it must've been a gas leak and a spark went off and an explosion," Rivera said. "My wife and my kids, they'll be okay — there's nothing permanent — but they did get third-degree burns." Officials said a dog on board was rescued and is unharmed. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Fort Lauderdale Police are now investigating the cause of the blast. "There are no fatalities as far as we know," said Fire Rescue spokesperson Frank Guzman, adding that some of the injuries were classified as Level 1 traumas due to their severity.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- CBS News
11 injured, including 2 children, in Fort Lauderdale boat explosion, officials say
Eleven people, including two children, were injured after a boat exploded Monday afternoon near a popular sandbar in Fort Lauderdale, officials said. Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with one man using his dinghy to help pull victims from the water. Explosion near sandbar sends people flying into water Frank Guzman, public information officer for Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, said the explosion occurred around 5:45 p.m. near 9th Street, where a sandbar draws boaters and beachgoers on holiday weekends. The boat was anchored at the time. "For reasons that we don't know yet, a boat exploded," Guzman said during a Monday afternoon press conference. "It tossed people into the water. Good Samaritans came over right away and started rescuing them." Witness describes fireball and desperate pleas for help Bret Triano was nearby when the explosion happened and quickly sprang into action. "When they went to start their boat up, it just exploded. There was a huge fireball and people were kind of falling off the boat," said Triano. He and others jumped into his dinghy to help. "Once someone was calling 911, we just got in our dinghy and headed over there," he said. Triano said he tried to assist a man who was struggling in the water. "He was saying, 'Save me, please don't let me die, I'm so hot, I need water.'" Victim believes fuel leak sparked blast Antonio Rivera, one of the victims, believes the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak during refueling. "Burned in the boat explosion just now," Rivera said. "We tried to fuel up the boat and it must've been a gas leak and a spark went off and an explosion. My wife and my kids, they'll be okay, there's nothing permanent but they did get third-degree burns." 11 people, 2 children and dog onboard According to Guzman, all 11 people injured and transported to the hospital were aboard the boat. Two of the victims are children. "A dog that was also on board was rescued and is unharmed," he added. Burn victims taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital All patients were initially taken to Broward Health Medical Center. Several with serious burns were later transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital, which has a specialized burn unit. "We don't have an exact number on how many patients are going to Jackson," Guzman said, "but a number of the people were transported as what we call Level 1 traumas. That means they're significantly hurt." Investigation underway The cause of the explosion has not been confirmed. Fire investigators are on the scene, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Fort Lauderdale Police. "There are no fatalities as far as we know," Guzman said.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Multiple people injured in Fort Lauderdale boat explosion, Fire Rescue says
Several people were hospitalized after a boat exploded in the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, according to the Fire Rescue department. The boat, which was near the New River Triangle sandbar, exploded around 5:45 p.m., said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Jessica Walker. Frank Guzman, a Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesman, said 11 people on the boat were injured, including two children. Emergency dispatcher communications tell of a chaotic scene with several people in the water and people suffering burn injuries. The injured children are around 5 years old, a paramedic told dispatchers on scanner audio reviewed by the Herald. Witnesses Bret Triano and Marisa Toomsen said they were hanging out at the sandbar when the boat exploded. 'There was this boat trying to leave the sandbar and when they went to start their boat up, it just exploded,' Triano said. 'It was a huge fireball and people were kind of falling off the boat, so we were at the sandbar too, and we just tried to go help out.' After getting a friend to call 911, the two got in their dinghy and pulled a man who was in his 30s out of the water. He was screaming, and his skin was burned 'pretty badly,' Toomsen said. 'He was saying, 'Save me, please don't let me die,'' Triano said. The two strangers got the man to shore, where the Coast Guard was waiting. Triano described the boat that exploded as possibly a 40-foot motorboat. Guzman told reporters at the scene that all 11 people on the boat were taken to Broward Health Medical Center. Some of them were then taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's burn unit in Miami, he said, although he did not have the exact number of patients sent there. 'A lot of them had burns to much of their body,' Guzman said. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, Guzman said he was not aware of any fatalities. As of Monday night, it was unclear exactly what caused the explosion. Guzman said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue had a fire investigator on scene and that the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would conduct a joint investigation. Josh McCarty, who lives in an apartment nearby, said he saw one child and two adults being treated by first responders. The man that he saw appeared to have been burned. 'He was moving around and talking, but it seemed like he had severe burns on his arms because they had it wrapped in gauze and everything,' McCarty said. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
