By Beck Vass
A man suffering burns to his legs was trying to douse flames with a hose as firefighters arrived to find a boat on fire and close to sinking at Tauranga Harbour Bridge Marina yesterday.
Station Officer Paul van Kol of the Mount Maunganui fire service said the man told
emergency services that he was getting off the boat "when it went 'boof"'.
"He was very lucky actually. He was stepping off the back of the boat and it erupted in flames.
"He singed all his hair. He had a burn to his shins and a cut on his hand."
Firefighter Adam Martin of the Tauranga fire service said flames were billowing from the cabin of the private 8.5m launch Double Trouble as firefighters from Tauranga and Mount Maunganui arrived about 3.40pm at J-pier, where the boat was moored.
Mr Martin said he believed a mechanic who had been working on the launch's fuel filters suffered superficial burns in the blaze, which is thought to have begun when fuel spilled onto the boat's hot motor and ignited.
Tauranga firefighters sent the man to receive a medical checkup from Mount Maunganui firefighters at the scene but he did not need treatment.
"He was pretty well singed. He'd obviously done his best to put it out."
The man, believed to be in his 30s, had used a dry powder fire extinguisher and a hose from the marina to douse the flames, Mr Martin said.
But his efforts did not stop the fire from spreading from the boat's engine up into the cabin, he said.
Firefighters had to work quickly to ensure the fire did not spread due to the close proximity of other boats in the marina. They also faced the added challenge of having to pump out the water they used to fight the fire so the launch did not sink.
An exhaust pipe on the boat was burned and the craft started to take on water despite the water pumping efforts. Fire crews eventually managed to prevent the boat from sinking.
Firefighters wore breathing apparatus because of the toxic smoke that can be released as fibreglass burns, Mr Martin said.
