Six Survive Boat Fire in Fla. Intracoastal Waterway
Source Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
April 11--FORT LAUDERDALE -- A 30-foot boat caught fire and capsized in the Intracoastal Waterway on Tuesday but six passengers were unhurt, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.
The boat was in the middle of the waterway around the 3600 block of Northeast 32nd Avenue when the flames forced three adults and three children, ages 10, 12 and 14, to jump overboard, fire rescue spokesman Matt Little said.
The survivors were able to swim to shore, where bystanders and firefighters pulled them out of the water. There were no injuries. The owner was not aboard the borrowed boat, Little said.
The smoke rose more than 100 feet in the air and could be seen for miles, witness Linda Nair said.
"I was going to the store across the [Oakland Park Boulevard] bridge when I looked to my right and I saw plumes of black smoke and fire in the middle of the Intracoastal," she said. "I was really impressed with how quickly they put it out."
The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes. Fire inspectors are investigating the cause of the blaze, he said.
--Wayne K. Roustan
Copyright 2012 - Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
