Passengers Jump into AZ Lake as House Boat Burns

Sept. 20, 2023
Nearby boats rushed to assist the people who abandoned ship in the choppy Lake Powell, near Glen Canyon National Park.

The cause of a dramatic blaze that destroyed a houseboat on Lake Powell last week remains under investigation.

“As we pull up, [the fire] starts getting bigger and bigger,. And so, that's why I’m like 'You guys got to jump, you got to get off this boat as soon as you can.'” Jake Cahoon, who was on a nearby boat, told NBC. 

He and others urged the 29 aboard the blazing vessel to jump. Passengers swam roughly 20 to 30 feet through choppy water to Cahoon's boat near Glen Canyon National Park close to the Arizona-Utah border.

“After it all ended, and we all went back to our houseboat, we were teary-eyed and just like grateful everyone was OK," Courtney Cahoon said.

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