The person killed in a boat explosion at a South Florida marina this past Monday was identified as a man from Quebec.
Forty-one-year-old Sebastien Gauthier was among seven passengers aboard a 37-foot-long boat that exploded at the Lauderdale Marina in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to Flordia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), per news outlet WSVN.
The FWC said Gauthier died of his injuries and the six other occupants were transferred to hospital for treatment. Of the six injured, three suffered traumatic injuries and are in stable condition.
Authorities say the explosion occurred when the engines of the boat were started, which ignited a fire that spread quickly throughout the vessel.
The explosion was captured on video.
The events were also captured on the helmet cameras of Fort Lauderdale firefighters.
“There’s two boats on fire,” said a Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Captain on camera, as reported by WSVN. “Dude, we got a third one right there. I got a bunch of people hurt on the ground over here too.”
Video of the explosion from EarthCam show a person slipping into the water as the fire burned, which prompted a search from emergency personnel.
Garret Pingol, deputy fire chief of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, said there was “a boat on fire and there were people on the water,” noting multiple dive teams searched “multiple potential areas where the person might be missing.”
Dive teams later located the body of Gauthier in the water.
The fire was put out shortly after the explosion.
WSVN noted the marina, which also acts as a refueling station for boats, experienced a similar fire earlier in the month. An investigation into the explosion is underway.
