Troopers handle boat collisions, fires at Lake of the Ozarks

Since Friday, there have been two boat fires, two collisions and one man injured while water-skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend.

The Highway Patrol reports a pontoon boat caught on fire just before 6 p.m. Sunday, after its outboard motor exploded near the Hurricane Deck. The driver had minor injuries and was able to put out the flames using an extinguisher. The boat was towed from the scene. A few miles to the south, near the Niangua Arm junction, another boat caught on fire around 1:30 p.m. Saturday. That was also extinguished by the operator and driven from the scene.

One boat struck another that was docked while backing into a nearby spot Friday night. Two other boats also hit each other while trying to get into and out of a dock at the Coconut Bar & Grill Saturday afternoon. It was caused by a strong wind gust, but damage was minor in both cases.

A 43 year-old man from Iowa suffered moderate injuries after hitting a wave while water skiing in the Grand Glaize Arm south of Osage Beach. He was taken by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital around noon on Saturday.