Another boat fire in Fort Lauderdale

21 people on board a 41' Wellcraft. 13 with burn injuries. 7 taken to Broward Medical, 2 with serious burns, one of them in critical condition at Jackson Memorial. Witnesses said they heard an explosion first, then flames and a smaller explosion.

Having a friend who burned in a house fire and watching what she went through in recovery and subsequent drug addiction very little scares me more. My heart and prayers go out to the victims.

Old gasser. Didn’t we have a discussion recently About the dangers of old gas boats?

Thought that boat was gas. And yes we did. This is one of how many gas propelled boats? Hundreds of thousands? You talk like all gassers go on fire. Only thing wrong with this boat being a gasser is that it doesn't have enough power for its size. But given her age (I'd guess late 80's to 2000) my guess is a leaking fuel system. Most gas boats don't get that old, and yes gasoline systems need to be maintained (just like fire suppression systems which I have a feeling might not have been maintained either).

21 people on board that boat? geez. I hope everyone is ok.

Same with me.

21 people on what looks like a Wellcraft Portofino?
This is an express so at least 10 people were down below.
At the fuel dock so one has to assume they took on gasoline and ignored the number one rule of fueling a gasoline boat. All passengers off the boat until fueled, vented and finally restarted with only the Capt on board.
I see a lawsuit headed to that fueling facility.

We don't have that rule in Florida as far as I know.

Did it even happen at a fuel dock?

Yes opening the hatch after fueling and sniffing is critical but if a fuel leak happens underway, a fume detector is critical. It should be mandatory equipment on all gassers.

I'm pretty sure the spot the boat was tied in the video is the vacant land across from LMC, at the 90 degree bend. This is reinforced by the fact that the guy who helped rescue them was wearing a "Freedom" shirt, which is a M/Y that berths at the neighboring property. If this is the case, I don't think they have a fuel dock at that property. I sort of assumed they pulled in after the fire started?

Why does 21 pax raise red flags? What's the capacity for this boat? (There is none except that there must be a PFD for each.) Anyone feel that in this time of Covid anyone packing 21 people together on a boat this size has any thought about safety? Fueling with passengers aboard? No regulation, just a smart and recommended practice. Use the blowers? Same. Jail time? Extremely unlikely. Lawsuits? Probably whether there's legal merit or not. Unfortunately stupidity CAN be used as an excuse. Of course if this is a charter it's a whole different story, but I haven't heard anything indicating that yet. That's why we all have an obligation to educate those who just don't understand the dangers inherent in boating, and we all need to pray for the victims. Not scream about gassers being bombs, they're not, but gasoline is dangerous and must be respected. Gassers definitely have a lifespan though. Eventually they're just more expensive to safely maintain than they're worth. However to push the idea that all gassers are bombs threatens the foundation of the boating industry. Thankfully today there's very few gassers this size being built.