2 Rescued By Good Samaritan After Boat Explosion Off Waukegan Shoreline: Officials

WAUKEGAN, IL — Two men were hospitalized after an explosion engulfed their boat in flames Tuesday on Lake Michigan off the Waukegan shoreline, authorities said.

Another boater in the area rescued the pair, a 55-year-old Franklin Park resident and a 46-year-old man from Washington state, shortly before 3 p.m. and brought them to the Waukegan Harbor.

Personnel from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Illinois Department of National Resources and the Waukegan Fire Department were all reportedly dispatched to the scene.

The two men were taken to Vista Medical Center in Waukegan for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation, authorities said. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Crews on rescue boats found the unoccupied 25-foot fiberglass hull powerboat engulfed in flames, with billowing smoke, located about 2 miles northeast of the harbor.

It burned for about 90 minutes before sinking, according to the sheriff's office.

Illinois Conservation Police are leading the investigation into the cause of the explosion.