FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – First responders rushed to reports of a boat on fire in the waters off Broward County.
According to authorities, just before 6:00 p.m. they received multiple 911 calls regarding an explosion and subsequent boat fire at Lauderdale Marina located at 1900 SE 15 St, adjacent to the popular waterfront restaurant 15th Street Fisheries.
Upon arrival, crews found a significant fire involving one boat which then spread to a second vessel.
Several people were injured as a result.
Authorities said six people were rushed to area hospitals, three of which were suffering from what were described as traumatic injuries.
A search was underway for a seventh victim who was reported missing in the water. Authorities said a member of the Broward Sheriff’s Office dive team located the missing person, who sadly had died.
A spokesperson with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified the deceased victim Tuesday as 41-year-old Sebastien Gauthier, of Quebec, Canada.
The blast was captured on video by both eyewitnesses and a nearby webcam. Thick smoke and towering flames were visible from miles away.
Neighbor Janet Lamp recalled smelling the fumes from her balcony. “It was a different kind of smell, not a regular smoke smell,” she said.
9 a.m. Tuesday report:
Tamer Dimiati is a restaurant worker who jumped in to help after the explosion.
“That boat is completely gone,” he said. “After that, I ran out there to see if anybody needed help. One guy was on fire, another person was in the water. It was just chaos all at once.”
Investigators said the vessel in question was docked near fuel pumps.
.A nearby witness, Nate Hall, also described the scene as surreal. “I turned around, and the whole dock was on fire,” he said.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Garrett Pingol said multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, are working to determine the cause of the explosion and working to clean the fuel spill contaminating the water.
“It is too soon to speculate as to what the potential cause(s) may have been,” Guzman said. “Once the vessels have been removed from the water and can be more closely examined, we will have a better idea.”