What transpired leading up to — and following — a boat exploding at a Broward marina?
Live camera footage captured the moment a boat docked at a popular Fort Lauderdale marina exploded Monday night. It also caught a chaotic scene, with good Samaritans rushing to help the injured and firefighters quelling the blaze that ensued.
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 Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. The incident occurred near the 15th Street Fisheries, an iconic eatery popular with tourists and boaters.
READ MORE: ‘Man, it was bad.’ A Canadian man was killed, 5 hurt in boat blast at Broward marina
41-year-old Sebastien Gauthier, of Quebec, was found dead in the water. The five injured were taken to area hospitals. Three of them had traumatic injuries.
Witnesses told the Miami Herald that a vessel exploded while a boater was fueling up. Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 8 p.m.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state agency that patrols the waterways, is investigating the explosion.
“I turn around and see the boat just go up,” an employee at the restaurant 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.”
