Were gas fumes cause of fire that destroyed family’s vessel?
Cooler of drinks on ice – check. Boat full of gas – check. Suntan lotion smeared on the kids – check. Wake board and life jackets loaded – check. Run bilge ventilation fan for at least 4 minutes and open motor cover to ensure no gas smell present – KABOOM!
That’s what appears to have happened on the afternoon of Aug. 23 when a typical family of 4 prepared to launch their inboard powered ski boat at the new Nutbush boat ramp on Kerr Lake near Henderson for an afternoon of wakeboarding and relaxation.
The father, John Barnes of Henderson, is in the Chapel Hill burn center being treated for serious burns to his legs requiring skin grafts. Fortunately, his young son and his younger daughter who were also onboard suffered no injuries, even though the boy was launched into the air from his seat on the motor box and the young daughter was surrounded by flames for several seconds.
The author was a couple of lanes over trailering his craft when the explosion occurred. After briefly considering attacking the flames with a small fire extinguisher he decided to contact 911 before offering assistance.
While in hind sight it would have been smarter to get far away from the burning craft and let properly trained emergency personnel deal with the situation, the wife drove the truck pulling the burning boat up the ramp where the author unhooked the trailer and fully engulfed craft from the truck so it could be pulled away without damage.
Any inboard boat engine will produce some flammable vapor. If this vapor is not vacated from the hull with the powered ventilation system an explosion or fire may result which is not a good way to start a weekend at the lake. Obviously the family would have done anything to avoid this accident, but in their eagerness a brief lapse in judgment led to significant loss of limb and property. Luckily there was no loss of life or more serious injury. Hopefully this information will prevent some of you from enduring the same result.
The attached video shows the boat on fire and rescue personnel arriving on the scene.
