Multiple people have been injured after a reported boat explosion on Saturday near the Haulover Sandbar, according to Miami-Dade fire officials.
The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said that over 25 units, alongside the Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, responded to a medical call regarding a possible boat explosion at approximately 12:45 p.m.
Upon arrival, fire crews found multiple patients on scene with various injuries, including burns, and some more traumatic injuries, according to MDFR Battalion Chief Juan Arias.
Due to the sheer number of patients and the department’s need for additional resources, MDFR said that they needed to upgrade the call to a Level 2 Mass Casualty Incident.
A total of 11 patients were transported to a local hospital for further care.
Nearby boat charter Robert Lee saw the explosion that he describes can only be caused by gas.
“We saw three people fly out of the boat,” Lee said. “So this guy got in a hurry, and his people got on board, and he turned the key, and didn’t open the hatches. Didn’t turn on the blowers and he blew people out the boat.”
Witnesses also say the boat was surrounded in flames in quickly, in mere minutes. They saw almost a dozen people hauled off on stretchers.
“I just saw a lot of them with burns all over them, and I said that it’s a hot fire. It is quick, but it’s high octane gasoline, and so a lot of them got burnt and it was an explosion.”
The patients’ conditions are unknown. An investigation into what happened is underway, but Lee, a boat captain himself, believes this explosion was preventable.
The cause of the fire has not been released by officials.
Fire officials are advising people who want to go out on the water to take precaution.
“This time of year, we have a lot of boats on the water, so it’s always good to make sure you have a radio with you, life vests, fire extinguishers in case of fighting any fires or explosions like we had today, and also have an experienced boater with you on the boat, a captain or whatnot,” Arias said.
