KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On June 3, Rural Metro Fire responded to a boat fire and explosion at Concord Marina that resulted in four injuries.
At around 7:34 p.m., Rural Metro and the Knox County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to Concord Marina where they found a boat on fire in the main channel, according to a report from KCSO. They also said that a portion of the dock near the fuel pump was also on fire.
The four victims of the explosion, Patrick Ford, 26, Katelyn Frostholm, 20, Aaron Summer, 38, and Caryn Bradford, 54, suffered from varying ranges of burns to their bodies, KCSO said. They were treated and taken to UT Medical Center Emergency Department.
According to the report, the victims arrived at the dock to get fuel and asked the marina worker to fuel the boat. To fill the fuel tank in the boat, a funnel was used due to the rubber neck from the gas cap being dry rotted.
The victims were talking with the marina worker, including Summer who said he was flirting with the worker, while the boat was being filled, according to the report.
After it seemed that it took a long time to fuel up, they said when they looked at the pump they saw 44 gallons of fuel was pumped into the tank that should have only held around 20 to 25 gallons of fuel, KCSO said.
They were told that pumping was stopped and could smell gas vapors. The engine cover was removed and they could see fuel in the engine compartment of the boat, according to the report. Ford said that he operated the bilge pump and gas was being pumped into the water.
Soon after, the explosion happened. While a direct cause has not been determined yet, one KCSO investigator believed the explosion started in the engine compartment of the boat. The boat, then, burned to the water line and sank.
The fire was classified as accidental, according to KCSO.
The damage was estimated to be $25,000, according to the marina manager, Mr. James Bisch.