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Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Two teens seriously injured in Fort Lauderdale personal watercraft crash
Two teenage girls riding tandem on a personal watercraft were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries in a crash Tuesday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale, the city's Fire Rescue department said. The girls were riding in the Intracoastal Waterway near the 2800 block of Northeast 24th Court when the crash happened around 3:30 p.m., said Frank Guzman, spokesman for Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. Paramedics took the teens to Broward Medical Center, Guzman said. Details about what the teens crashed into were not immediately available. Personal watercraft are often erroneously called Jet Skis, a popular brand of the small vessels made by Kawasaki. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Miami Herald
06-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Boats are bursting into flames in South Florida. How common is this?
Last week, two boats in Fort Lauderdale went up in flames. Friday, six boats were charred at a Sunny Isles Beach dock. READ MORE: Boat engulfed in flames ignites several vessels at Sunny Isles dock: fire rescue So, you've got to be wondering: Do Florida boaters have no clue how to operate a vessel or is this just a random twist of fate? As it turns out, boats going up in flames is not uncommon in a state that is saturated with boats, statistics show. While the number of boat fires are trending higher in Fort Lauderdale — the site of another explosion in December, killing a boater who was fueling up at Lauderdale Marina — statewide, they've actually decreased over the past five years, according to vessel accidents' data compiled by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. READ MORE: Boat explodes off the beach in Fort Lauderdale, fire-rescue says So far, in Fort Lauderdale this year, there have been six boat fires, the city's Fire Rescue department said. The department's spokesman, Frank Guzman, noted that 'not all these vessel fires had significant damage.' Last year, there were 15 boat fires in Fort Lauderdale, up from four in 2021, with 11 each in 2022 and 2023, Guzman said. Florida has more registered boats than any other state Florida averages about 35 boat fires a year, according to the FWC, which notes in its latest annual report that the state also has more than 1 million registered vessels for recreation, making it 'the undisputed 'Boating Capital of the World.'' (Michigan has the second-most boat owners.) Over the past five years, boat fire numbers have fluctuated in the state, with 41 in 2020, 37 in 2021, 33 in 2022, and 30 in 2023, the latest data available, the FWC said. Out of the 685 reportable boat accidents in Florida in 2024, 33 stemmed from fires, 17 involving fuel and 16 caused by other factors. The majority of boat accidents in Florida — 209 — involved vessels hitting fixed objects, according to the FWC. Gas vapors likely cause of Sea Ray explosion Fuel was likely the cause of the explosion of a 39-foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser in the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale on Memorial Day. Out of the 15 people on board when a fireball shot out from inside the boat, 11 were hospitalized. The operator of the boat, 29-year-old Joshua Fifi, died days later at the hospital. READ MORE: Father of four dies after Memorial Day boat explosion off Fort Lauderdale Fire officials said the blast was likely caused by fuel vapors that ignited a flash fire when the boat was started. The source of the vapors and ignition is under investigation. It was like 'a fireball,' Guzman said. Boat safety tips Boating experts stress that boaters must open their engine compartment and turn on the blower fan before starting a boat. The fan, which removes gas fumes or any accumulated gasoline, should be run for three to five minutes. Boats have ventilation switches on the dash panel that should be switched on every time a boat is used. And, they add, boaters should take a sniff test and smell for any signs of gas vapors before starting a boat. READ MORE: Two boats exploded off Fort Lauderdale within 5 months. Tips to avoid a similar fate The FWC is still investigating the cause of a 30-foot boat that went up in flames just off the beach in Fort Lauderdale two days later. There was one person on board, who jumped off the vessel and swam to shore before paramedics took him to the hospital to be treated for injuries. There have also been damaging boat fires in other parts of South Florida, the most recent a blaze that ended up burning up six boats, including a 90-foot vessel, at a Sunny Isles Beach condominium dock early Friday morning. No one was injured in the fire, which was triggered by one boat going up in flames and the blaze spreading to five other boats. Authorities are investigating. Boat fire off Jupiter The same day the Sea Ray exploded in Fort Lauderdale, a 48-foot fishing yacht caught fire off Jupiter Inlet. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Three people were on board the vessel when it caught fire, the Coast Guard said in a statement on X. They were rescued by other boaters in the area who responded to the scene. No one was hurt, according to the Coast Guard. And, a May 14 fire at a Tavernier boat yard in the Florida Keys badly damaged several vessels that were dry docked, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
American Military News
30-05-2025
- American Military News
Videos: 11 hospitalized in major boat explosion in Florida
Officials have confirmed that 11 people, including two children, were hospitalized on Memorial Day after a boat with 13 passengers exploded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In a Monday post on X, formerly Twitter, the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast announced that a boat 'exploded' at roughly 5:45 p.m. near the New River Triangle in Fort Lauderdale. A video shared by NBC News shows the boat explosion that sparked a fire and resulted in 'significant burns' to multiple passengers. 'For reasons that we don't know yet, a boat exploded, it tossed people into the water, good Samaritans came over right away and started rescuing them,' Frank Guzman, a Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesman, told reporters. 'It's too soon to know how this happened, we have a fire investigator on scene as well.' According to NBC 6, the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesperson told reporters that 11 of the boat's passengers, including two children, were transported to a local hospital following Monday's boat explosion. READ MORE: Video/Pic: 1 killed, 4 injured in 'terrorism' explosion in California 'A number of the patients had significant burns and are being transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital where they have a burn unit,' Guzman stated. 'A lot of them had burns to much of their body.' NBC 6 reported that Jackson Memorial Hospital officials confirmed that they received eight adults who were listed in good condition and two children who were listed in fair condition. The outlet noted that one of the individuals was intubated following Monday's explosion. According to NBC 6, one of the individuals on the boat has been identified as 32-year-old Antonio Rivero. Rivero claimed that he was with his family on the boat at the time of the explosion. Rivero's wife and their two children remained in the hospital as of Monday night, according to NBC 6. 'Tried to fuel up the boat, and must have been a gas leak and you know, spark went off and explosion,' Rivero said. 'One of the guy's pants were blown off so it was bad.' In an update shared on social media, the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast shared a video of salvage operations, saying, 'Salvage is being arranged and it's reported @myfwc is leading the investigation.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Man hospitalized after boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale; second boat explosion this week
A man was hospitalized after leaping from a boat that exploded into flames in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday morning, officials say, the second boat explosion in the city 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.
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Miami Herald
28-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Boat explodes off the beach in Fort Lauderdale, fire-rescue says
A boat exploded off the beach in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday morning, according to city fire-rescue. This is the second boat to go up in flames in two days in Fort Lauderdale. A 39-foot Sea Ray blew up in the Intracoastal Waterway, near the large sandbar by the New River, on Monday. That blast injured 11 people, including two children. MORE: 'A fireball.' Fuel vapors likely caused Fort Lauderdale boat explosion, fire rescue says Wednesday's explosion happened just offshore near 1700 South Ocean Boulevard around 9:30 a.m. The 30-foot boat had one person on board, who jumped into the water and swam to shore, said Frank Guzman, a spokesman with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. Paramedics took the person to Broward Health Medical Center to be treated for burn injuries, Guzman said. The boat washed up on the beach, and Fort Lauderdale and Broward Sheriff's Office firefighters worked to put out the flames, Guzman said. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
