Boat Explodes, Yacht Sinks In 2 FL Boating Incidents On Memorial Day

SOUTH FLORIDA — Sixteen people were rescued during two Memorial Day boating incidents in South Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard posted to X, formerly Twitter.

A 48-foot yacht sank off Jupiter Inlet on Monday after catching fire.

A good Samaritan saved the three people aboard and no injuries were reported.

U.S. Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the boat fire.

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Another boat also exploded Monday around 5:45 p.m. with 13 people aboard, the USCG said.
Multiple injuries were reported, the agency said.

This included two children, CBS News reported. A dog, who was uninjured, was also on board.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office and FWC responded to the scene with USCG Station Fort Lauderdale and Air Station Miami.

All 13 were transferred to Emergency Medical Services. The investigation is ongoing.

"When they went to start their boat up, it just exploded. There was a huge fireball and people were kind of falling off the boat," a witness told CBS.

One person who was on the boat told the news outlet that he believes a gas leak while refueling caused the explosion.

"Burned in the boat explosion just now," Antonio Rivera said. "We tried to fuel up the boat and it must've been a gas leak and a spark went off and an explosion. My wife and my kids, they'll be okay, there's nothing permanent but they did get third-degree burns."

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