'Huge Burst of Orange Flame,' Woman Says of Boat Explosion near Las Vegas
Las Vegas Review-Journal
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As she sat in a hospital bed at University Medical Center on Wednesday, Jessie Hart went from laughter to tears, then back to laughter.
With her hands and feet bandaged — burned during a boating explosion Sunday at a fuel pump at Callville Bay — she spoke of how lives can change in an instant. She also made sure to smile and crack some jokes.
“I’m in pain, yes, but I have a very high pain tolerance,” Hart said before she held up her right hand, which featured her only free digit. “Plus, I’m able to scroll and text on my phone because I have a thumb to use. I don’t know what I would do without this thumb.”
Hart, 43, said she and her husband, Mark Michelini, were boating at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area when the explosion happened. She said Michelini had just gassed the boat up at around 3 p.m. on Sunday at Callville Bay, which is 30 miles from Las Vegas.
Michelini was in the boat, which was their friend’s, and Hart was on the nearby dock getting ready to push off, she said. The couple’s 2-year-old dog, a French bulldog named Aly Capone, had followed Michelini into the boat.
Then the boat caught fire. Seconds later, the explosion happened, Hart said.
“My hands and the bottom of my hair caught on fire,” Hart said. “It was just this huge burst of orange flame and then the boat was engulfed.”
Hart said Michelini immediately jumped into the water. She tried to save the puppy but couldn’t. She said a friend had Aly’s remains cremated.
“I was yelling for someone to go back and get Aly,” Hart said. “Then I heard the most horrible, horrible scream and yelp, then I didn’t hear anything else from her. I’ve been hearing that sound the past couple of nights when I try to sleep. I hope she didn’t suffer too much.”
A long road ahead
At the time, Hart said she didn’t realize how badly Michelini was burned. He was airlifted to UMC.
Hart said Michelini was scheduled for a surgery on Wednesday and that he had been in and out of consciousness. His road to recovery, she said, will be longer than hers.
“My healing process will be nothing compared to his,” Hart said. “He’s still in critical condition. He gave us a really big scare during the first 48 hours (after the explosion). They’ve had to cut into his shins and cut open his feet. He’s using a breathing machine.”
A cancer survivor, Hart said she’s been told she’ll make a full recovery, but she is also stressed out about medical bills. Hart, who is currently without health insurance, said her daughter helped set up a GoFundMe account for Michelini and Hart.
As of late Wednesday, close to $11,000 had been raised. Karma Hart, Jessie’s daughter, said on the GoFundMe page that the explosion has turned her family’s lives “upside down.”
“My parents have a long road to recovery ahead, and every bit of support will help ease the burden as they heal physically and emotionally,” she said.
‘It still feels surreal’
As for the explosion, Hart said she believes it was a freak accident.
“We’re experienced boaters,” Hart said. “To me, it looked like it ignited from the center of the boat.”
In a news release, the Clark County Fire Department said bystanders at Callville Bay were able to contain much of the fire on the boat with fire extinguishers. The cause of the fire was still being investigated.
“I just want people to know that any freak accident can happen,” Hart said. “Make sure to check everything on your boat. Make sure your boat’s maintenance is up to date. I know we did everything right, so things can happen no matter what.”
For now, Hart is worried and stressed, and she has some physical therapy in her future, but she’s choosing to look on the bright side.
“We could be dead,” Hart said. “I’m fortunate. It still feels surreal.”
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