UPDATE: Three Men Injured, Two Released From Hospital Following Boat Fire

Photo credit: WHDH 7 News

UPDATE, Friday, July 3, 9:25 a.m.

Three people were treated for injuries Thursday after a boat fire in Marblehead, but none of those injuries was severe.

Marblehead Fire Chief Jason Gilliland said a 90-year-old father and 60-year-old son were enjoying the evening on their boat, the Sundowner, when a fire broke out below deck just after 5 p.m. Thursday.

Both those individuals were taken to the hospital with injuries, but Gilliland said the son was released from North Shore Medical Center Salem Hospital later Thursday night. The status of the 90-year-old man is unknown, but Gilliland said he believed the man sustained some minor lacerations and possibly a dislocated shoulder.

Gilliland said the father was on deck and the son down below doing some work before coming on deck for a time. When the son returned below, the fire had started.

The son sustained some flash burns, Gilliland said, before he came back on deck and then jumped overboard. The older man remained on the boat. At some point, Gilliland said, the men radioed for help.

Eastern Yacht Club launch driver Andrew DiMare heard the radio call and headed to the scene. Once there, he “plucked the guy” from the water, Gilliland said, and was convinced the older man that he needed to abandon 45-foot sailboat.

“[DiMare] did a great job,” Gilliland said. “Eastern was a huge help.”

According to a statement from Marblehead police, staff with the Eastern Yacht Club “stepped up during this situation,” rescuing an individual and then carrying water to the firefighters working on the boat.

Crews arrived on the scene and could see smoke and flames through the windows of the boat’s cabin, Gilliland said. During the response, Assistant Harbormaster Dan Roads suffered some smoke inhalation and was seen at and released from the hospital later Thursday evening. No other responders were injured.

Marblehead officers and firefighters as well as Atlantic Ambulance paramedics the U.S. Coast Guard, Salem and Marblehead harbormasters, and a Beverly Fire Department rescue boat and others responded to the scene.

The Sundowner, according to Gilliland, is a Marblehead boat and was built by the father and son.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but investigators are focusing on the engine area, Gilliland said. The vessel was towed to the Cliff Street Boat Yard where the investigation continued Friday morning.

Gilliland said a damage estimate had not yet been made, but the damage is primarily below deck.

“If you look at the boat down at the dock, you really couldn’t tell,” he said. “Except for the broken windows. Not a great way to start off the Fourth of july weekend, but thank goodness the injuries weren’t bad.”

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Two people have been rushed to the hospital after a boat fire in Marblehead, reports WHDH 7 News.

The two victims were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital after the fire at the Eastern Yacht Club just after 5 p.m. The fire has been contained.

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