A music video shoot aboard a 41-foot Wellcraft boat turned into terror on the water after an explosion that injured 13 people — two people remained hospitalized with serious burns. The cause of the Fort Lauderdale boat explosion is under investigation.
Cell phone video shows the boat fully engulfed in flames and audio of screams of terror as the the Wellcraft becomes a floating fireball.
A video posted on Instagram, shot minutes before the Fort Lauderdale boat explosion on Thursday, shows an artist singing for the cameras with models lining the boat behind him. But then there was an explosion, which sent clouds of smoke in to the air. It happened around 2 p.m. on the South Fork New River.
The cause of the blaze is still being investigated.
Good Samaritan Bret King helped pull people to safety. “(There was) a lot of smoke coming out of the cockpit when we took 3, 4 people off the bow and by the time we got them to the bank the boat was fully engulfed in flames.”
Passengers were jumping into the water or into other boats that came by to help. In the end, 13 of the 21 people on board were injured.
Two passengers were so severely injured they had to be taken to the Burn Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, one passenger was airlifted and the other transported by ground.
More than 50 firefighters worked to knock down the flames on the party boat and protect other boats and properties nearby.
In addition to the two people who were seriously injured, 5 others were taken to Broward Health, but they have since been released.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is now leading the investigation.
As for the person who owns the boat, he refused to answer the door when reporters showed up. When he was called he answered the phone and said he had a lawyer, then hung up.