Chattanooga firefighters training on the fire-rescue boat happened to be in the right place at the right time this morning on Chickamauga Lake. They were at the Harrison Bay State Park Marina around 11:30 a.m. when they were notified of an explosion on a boat near the marina's gas pumps.
A husband and wife had reportedly just finished putting gas in their 28-foot cruiser and were pulling away from the dock when an explosion rocked the boat. There was a flash fire and the woman jumped into the water to escape the flames.
The fire-rescue boat was on the scene in seconds and crew members immediately spotted the woman in the water. Lieutenant Dusty Rose said the firefighters pulled the woman out of the water and then boarded the cruiser to check on her husband.
Her husband was not injured. Lt. Rose said the flash fire was extinguished by the boat's Halon fire extinguishing system.
Hamilton County EMS transported the woman to Memorial North Park Hospital. Lt. Rose said the woman sustained first- and second-degree burns to both legs. Her injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. The cause of the explosion was being investigated by officers with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
The explosion apparently damaged the fuel system on the boat, causing gasoline to leak into the lake. The hazardous materials team with Hamilton County Emergency Services was called to the scene to mitigate any environmental damage. Lt. Jody Clift with the county haz-mat team said they placed a containment boom around the spill and used absorbent pads to remove the gasoline. Lt. Clift estimated the spill only involved about 10 gallons of gas.
Woman who jumped from burning boat
- Photo2 by Brent McDonald (See video on Channel 9)