What’s New
At least one person has been killed and five injured after a boat exploded in Lauderdale Marina, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The explosion on Monday evening caused two fires, extinguished by Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue by 8:00 p.m.
Newsweek has contacted the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue and the City of Fort Lauderdale via email, outside of normal working hours, for comment.
The Context
Three of the five victims who were taken to hospital had “traumatic injuries,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. It was unclear whether the wounded victims would be out of hospital in time for the holidays.
EarthCam/Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue
The person who died was found after being declared missing in the water and a search was triggered.
What To Know
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said it received multiple 911 calls behind 15th Street Fisheries shortly before 6 p.m.
Witnesses told the Miami Herald that they saw a boat fueling up before the explosion, before a smaller boat went up in flames as well.
Video from livestreaming webcam company EarthCam captured the moment the boat exploded, showing the fire grow in size with thick black smoke billowing.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said in a statement to Newsweek: “The cause of the initial explosion and subsequent fires remains under investigation. It is too soon as of this writing to speculate as to what the potential cause(s) may have been. Once the vessels have been removed from the water and can be more closely examined by investigators, we will have a better idea.”
What People Are Saying
Deputy Fire Chief Garrett Pingol said: “We do believe the boat was at the fuel docks near the fuel pumps. We’re still determining whether it was actively fueling, that is unknown.”
Witness Nate Hill told CBS News: “It was kind of just a big explosion, I felt the vibration through my body.”
Witness Tamer Dimiati told the network: “I saw the top half of the boat fly up probably ten feet and come right back down.”
An unnamed witness told the Miami Herald: “I heard a huge explosion, and I looked over and [there was a woman] on the second floor of the boat.”
The Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said: “FLFR extinguishing two fires after a boat exploded at the Lauderdale Marina. A total of six people injured. We transported five to area hospitals, three with traumatic injuries. The sixth was missing in the water and located by BSO after a lengthy search, deceased unfortunately.”
What Happens Next
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the fire service, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Broward Sheriff’s Office and the United States Coast Guard.
Correction 12/24/24, 7:41 a.m. ET: This article was updated to correct a spelling of Miami Herald.
Update 12/24/24, 10:03 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a new statement from the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.