Marina owner believes boat explosion was accident, credits emergency crews

A boat explosion, which killed one and seriously injured another, was possibly an accident, according to the owner of the marina where it happened.

Budd Simmons of Pier 31 Marina told ABC 17 crews that the boat had just filled most of their tank before the explosion. While is not positive what sparked the fire, he believes it happened after the boat did not easily restart.

Simmons says someone was adding gas to the carburetor, which is a method for jump-starting a boat. It’s possible gas was spilled on the hot engine or something as simple as a lit cigarette then ignited the flame.

Simmons credited local emergency crews for their quick response as one of the reasons no other damage occurred.