Witness tells how she tried to rescue victims of deadly Fort Lauderdale boat explosion

A woman who was there at the fatal Fort Lauderdale boat explosion detailed the times she and other witnesses attempted to save lives—until their own boat caught fire as well. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue reported receiving several 911 reports about the explosion at Lauderdale Marina, located at 1900 SE 15th Street, shortly before 6 p.m. Video captures a boat exploding and catching fire just seconds after reaching a dock, with the impact throwing the occupants onto the ocean.

According to officials, the explosion killed one person and left five others hospitalized, three of whom suffered serious injuries. Maria Sanz claimed that the boat that exploded was directly behind the one she and her family were on. “When I turned, I saw that it was a boat, but I initially believed it was a firework. We noticed a lot of smoke,” she said. “I was screaming, screaming, screaming, and they told us we had to get out right away.” She claimed that when the fire reached their boat, they were attempting to assist in the rescue of people from the water.

“I rushed to my cousin, who was kneeling in front of the boat, and noticed that she was holding on to a girl who was sort of drowning. “She was attempting to raise her head to avoid drowning,” Sanz stated. She attempted to toss a rope to another victim she saw in the water as she turned around. “I noticed that a man was struggling to stay afloat. She remarked, “I screamed as I got off the boat, ran to the dock, and began throwing a rope.” Nevertheless, she continued: “No one freaked out. We all rushed to offer us assistance.

According to Sanz, their own boat caught fire while they were assisting. “It started coming towards us, so the front part and side were starting to get on fire while we were still trying to get these people out of the water,” she continued. Investigations about the fire are still ongoing.