UPDATE Monday, Aug. 15 10:30 a.m.
Piney Point, MD – A malfunctioning engine sparked a fire that injured two boaters and destroyed a vessel at marina in St. Mary’s County, state investigators reported.
According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the incident occurred Sunday afternoon, Aug. 14 in Piney Point. The incident occurred sometime after 5 p.m.
“The fire was the result of a malfunction in the inboard/outboard engine,” a deputy fire marshal’s report stated. “The boat and its contents were completely destroyed as a result of the fire. Two occupants on board the boat suffered burns to their lower extremities and were flown to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.”
The vessel was a 20-foot inboard/outboard power boat. The injured were a 41 year-old woman and a 42-year-old man. The fire marshal’s office identified the boat’s owner as Augustine Gomez.
The estimated loss is $4,000.
Thirty firefighters were dispatched to the scene and had the blaze under control in 10 minutes. Emergency crews also aided the injured boaters.
UPDATE 6:14 p.m.
Piney Point, MD – Authorities at the scene of a boat fire at a marina reported that two people sustained burns in the blaze, which was reported shortly after 5 p.m.
Sources report both victims are adults. One of the boaters sustained burns on the legs and the other was burned on the top part of the feet.
Maryland State Police Trooper 6 from the Eastern Shore was dispatched to the scene to transport the injured to a regional trauma center.
The incident is under investigation.
Piney Point, MD – On Sunday, Aug. 14, shortly after 5 p.m., St. Mary’s County authorities were alerted to a boat on fire at a Piney Point marina. Reports from the scene indicate that one boater was burned in the fire.
Authorities report that a Maryland State Police helicopter has been dispatched to the scene to fly the victim to a trauma center.
