Two women lost their lives, while another woman and two men sustained burns and were hospitalized after a fire broke out on a pleasure boat in Long Beach, California.
The Long Beach Fire Department received a notification of the explosion and fire at around 5:15 pm on Saturday, August 6, near a fuel dock in Alamitos Bay, where a 35-foot motorboat was engulfed in flames.
Video footage from the scene depicted firefighters working to extinguish the fire, which had taken over the rear section of the vessel.
The intensity of the fire resulted in a black plume of smoke, visible and detectable throughout the marina area, situated about 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
Cory Valdes, a witness on a nearby boat, said one man was able to get onto the dock while another man and woman jumped into the water. He heard yelling from the women who were unable to escape the flames. He estimated that the boat was fully on fire in 10-15 seconds.
Fire Captain Jake Heflin revealed that all the victims were in their 60s; however, their identities were withheld pending family notifications.
Authorities are currently conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the incident. Initial reports stated that the occupants of the boat were in the process of refueling.
To prevent potential environmental damage from fuel leakage, the boat’s wreckage was towed to an isolation dock, under the supervision of Captain Heflin and his team.