By Angie DiMichele
South Florida Sun Sentinel
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A 50-foot boat exploded while being fueled at a Dania Beach marina Friday afternoon, killing one man and critically injuring four other men, a Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue official said.
The blast at about 4:30 p.m. at the marina at 4470 Ravenswood Road was powerful enough for it to be heard at the Rustic Inn Crabhouse that is diagonally across a canal from the marina, Battalion Chief Michael Kane said.
The boat, which was delivered to the marina earlier Friday, was being prepared for an upcoming boat show and was fixed on a trailer while being fueled when a “large, intense blast” erupted, Kane said. The call initially came in as an explosion.
About 50 firefighters arrived and found one person dead at the scene, Kane said. In a news release Friday night, Kane said the firefighters saved the other four men “from the burning vessel.”
Two of the critically injured men were taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale and two were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
Kane said they were burned and had “injuries consistent with an explosive blast,” he said. He did not know Friday night whether they were employees at the marina.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze within 20 to 30 minutes, Kane said. He did not know whether the show the boat was preparing for was the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which runs Wednesday through Nov. 3.
The scene west of Interstate 95 near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is considered a crime scene because of the death, Kane said. The State Fire Marshal is investigating.
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