Boat Explodes, Catches Fire After Fueling Up At Palm Harbor Marina

PALM HARBOR, FL - Two men escaped injury today after their boat exploded and became fully engulfed in flames shortly after fueling up at the Home Port Marina in Palm Harbor.

Palm Harbor Fire Rescue was dispatched shortly before noon after a citizen at the dock called 911 to report that a 1999 SeaRay 21-1/2, with two passengers onboard, suffered a small explosion followed by fire, according to the department.

The fire grew quickly and both men evacuated the boat and were on land with non life-threatening injuries when rescuers arrived at the marina at 135 Orange St., fire officials said.

The owner of the vessel, Bryan Henderson of Palm Harbor, told authorities he had filled the boat with 50 gallons of fuel at the dock and started the boat when it drifted away from the dock and stalled, officials said.

A passenger was sitting on the engine compartment, but was knocked off and fell onto the boat floor when the owner restarted the boat a second time and the explosion hit, officials said. The boat caught fire, which quickly spread as the wind picked up, and both men quickly jumped off to safety.

When crews arrived, the wind had pushed the boat away from the dock and against the ramp, and firefighters began an initial fire attack from land using hose lines and then switched to a foam substance to blanket the fire, officials said. The goal was to deplete the oxygen and bring the fire under control with no exposure to the dock. The large amount of fuel still inside the boat required booms to be placed around the boat to keep the fuel from contaminating the waterway, the department said.

One of the pair onboard was treated at the scene for non-life threatening injuries, according to rescuers. Fire crews remained at the scene to further investigate the incident.

In addition to the Palm Harbor fire department, crews also came from Dunedin and the Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit.

--Photo courtesy of Palm Harbor Fire Rescue