By Grethel Aguila, Pierre Taylor, Milena Malaver
Miami Herald
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Canadian man was killed and five others were injured, officials say, in a boat explosion at a Fort Lauderdale marina. Witnesses say that the vessel exploded while a boater was fueling up.
Just before 6 p.m. Monday, 911 callers reported that a boat at the Lauderdale Marina, 1900 SE 15th St., was engulfed in flames before another caught on fire, according to Frank Guzman, spokesperson for Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. The incident occurred near the 15th Street Fisheries, a popular restaurant with tourists and boaters.
The five injured, Guzman said, were taken to area hospitals. Three of them had traumatic injuries. The Broward Sheriff’s Office found the sixth person, 41-year-old Sebastien Gauthier of Quebec, dead in the water on Monday night.
“Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Gauthier during this difficult time,” said Arielle Callender, a spokesperson with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the incident.
A destroyed and charred pontoon boat remained tied to the dock next to 15th Street Fisheries restaurant on Tuesday morning. It had been next to the boat that exploded and caught fire as the flames spread.
Restaurant and dock workers told the Miami Herald that the boat, which had exploded, had already sunk.
An employee at 15th Street Fisheries, who asked to remain anonymous, recalled the chaotic scene.
“I turn around and see the boat just go up,” he told the Herald. “People flying up in the air. This lady hit the concrete. This little girl was crying for her mother. Man, it was bad.”
A dock manager at Lauderdale Marina declined to comment when approached by a Herald reporter.
“I heard a huge explosion, and I looked over and [there was a woman] on the second floor of the boat,” one witness said.
Live camera footage archived by EarthCam shows the moments before the vessel exploded. The video shows a smaller boat behind the vessel, which was engulfed in flames.
Deputy Fire Chief Garrett Pingol told reporters on the scene that the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Pingol, however, confirmed that the boat was near fuel pumps before the explosion. He also added that fire crews were able to control the fuel that spilled onto the water.
“Once the vessels have been removed from the water and can be more closely examined by investigators, we will have a better idea,” Guzman said in a statement on Tuesday.
The blaze was extinguished by 8 p.m.
The incident, Pingol said, will be investigated by fire rescue in collaboration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. BSO, Fort Lauderdale police and the U.S. Coast Guard are assisting.
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