HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- One man jumped to safety after an explosion on a boat in the James River. Henrico Fire crews were called to Osborne Park and Boat Landing late Wednesday night when a boat caught fire in the water.
One witness said he heard an explosion, followed by a cry for help.
"I ran over here to see what was going on and there was a boat in the water. It was smoking pretty bad, and he was yelling 'help.' So I called the fire department," witness Dustin Hall said. "The next thing you know he jumped out of the boat, so I jumped in and tried to help out with the situation. It was just engulfed in flames after that point, after he was out the boat and safe on shore."
The burning 36-foot Chris Craft boat floated down the river and away from the dock.
"When Henrico Fire units arrived a few minutes later they found the boat engulfed in fire 150 yards from shore. The boat operator was uninjured and swam to shore prior to our arrival," Henrico Fire spokesman Lt. Phillip Lathrop said. "The fire was extinguished by Henrico Fire’s new Fire Boat. It took firefighters approximately 45 minutes to bring the fire under control. The cause of the fire has not been determined at this time."
Henrico's new fire boat was purchased earlier this year with Port Security grant money.
