Lake fire chief, business owner say awareness key to preventing fuel fires on boats

SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. (KMIZ)

According to a local fire chief and a business owner at the Lake of the Ozarks, awareness of a boat's condition and even its smell can help boaters prevent fuel fires.

Two boats have caught fire in the last week due to fuel issues, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. One of those fires hurt six people, including three children, on Tuesday after a mechanical issue caused fuel to ignite.

Chief Joseph LaPlant of the Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District told ABC 17 News, boaters should check the condition of their vessel each time they take it out. That includes opening the hatch of the boat to make sure gas or gas vapors aren't in the engine compartment. The smell of gas inside the hatch is a sign a leak may have happened.

Adam Morris has worked at Pirate's Point for decades, which offers boat rentals and fuel for boaters. Morris said frequent use and age can begin to wear on the vessel's parts, such as fuel lines. He said he's seen many used boats with faulty parts, which could lead to safety issues when taking it out on the water.

"I feel like maybe people aren't putting the necessary maintenance into their boats that they could," Morris said. "Maybe it's a lack of parts, maybe it's because a boat's been sitting in a barn for several years and the market's just now enough where it's worth selling to the people. It's something you want to keep an eye out for if you're buying a used boat to do a thorough inspection on it so you can feel a lot safer getting out on the water."

Numbers from the Highway Patrol show nine of the 10 reported boat fires or explosions in 2020 had to do with mechanical issues, such as the engine or fuel system. Two of those nine listed the fuel system as the specific reason for the fire.