OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. — A boat docked at an Old Saybrook marina exploded while taking in fuel Friday morning, sending one person to the hospital with serious injuries.
Old Saybrook police, fire and EMS crews, as well as the Deptartment of Energy and Environmental Protection's Environmental Conservation Police, responded to Harbor One Marina for the reported boat explosion.
The man who was taken to the hospital had serious but non-life-threatening injuries, DEEP EnCon said, adding that fuel leaked into the water, and crews contained the spill with a sorbent boom.
EnCon Capt. Keith Williams said a 911 call for a boat explosion at Harbor One went out around 10:30 a.m.
The cabin cruiser vessel that exploded is 38 feet in length and had a 300-gallon fuel tank.
"From what we understand, he probably put 120 gallons in to top that off," Williams said. "We're not sure how much fuel leaked into the water at this point."
The individual who owns the boat, and was later hospitalized, was ejected into the water. He was able to swim to the dock, where he was pulled out by a good Samaritan. When he left the scene, the man was alert, conscious and talking, Williams said. The man was the only one who sustained injuries, and no other boats were damaged.
The dock, however, was damaged, as it caught on fire. Williams estimates that the damage to the dock is minimal, noting that pilings are charred but it's otherwise "fine" without integrity issues. Williams did say he is not the one to make the call regarding the safety of the dock.
Williams said the boat broke free on its own. If it was tied, he believes the lines burned. With the wind, the boat drifted south but was still contained within the marina.
“We’re not exactly sure what happened other than we’re confident there was some sort of mechanical issue with the boat while he was fueling, which caused the explosion," Williams said.
No damage was reported to the seatow building, according to Williams. The local fire marshal is now involved and working alongside EnCon police to determine exactly what happened. Williams speculated that fumes from the gasoline may have been sparked, resulting in the explosion, but the investigation should lead to a definitive outcome.
Williams said that he doesn't see these incidents often, but when they do occur, they usually happen during fueling.
“It’s usually because you get the fumes that build up in the bilge, and a spark happens... Any type of spark that happens underneath that bilge where those gas fumes contain themselves, is a recipe for disaster," Williams said. "So, we always tell people before you turn the ignition key on, I’m not saying that’s what happened here, make sure you vent the boat first before you turn the ignition... That prevents this type of incident from happening.”
This is a developing story. FOX61 has a crew at the scene and will update this story as more information comes in.
---
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iOS: Click here to download
Android: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.