Investigators: Smoke on the Water

MINNEAPOLIS - With 10,000 lakes, it's no surprise that Minnesota has more boats per capita than anywhere else in the country. Every year, we hear about the importance of wearing life jackets when we're out on the water. But there's another important piece of safety equipment to have: a fire extinguisher.

Sometimes all it takes is the turn of a key for a boat to burst into a fireball of flaming fiberglass.

A FOX 9 investigation finds that over the past decade, Minnesota has averaged at least 10 boat explosions or fires a year.

Doug Abram was out for a cruise with the family when they smelled smoke on the water.
Fearing an explosion, Abram ordered everyone to put on their lifejackets and jump overboard. A fisherman came to the rescue.

Last summer, a boater in Lyon County wasn't so lucky. He drowned after jumping from a burning boat before grabbing a flotation device.

Cliff Schmidt is a safety expert who inspects hundreds of boats a year. He says he routinely finds fuel hoses with cracks in them and some in boats that are only three years old.

Other dangers include exposed wires that could spark a fire or a blast. Schmidt says it's important to always be prepared for the possibility of a fire out on the water.

For the FOX 9 test, a small amount of gas is placed in the compartment where the inboard engine had been. A wire hooked to a battery will provide the spark. FOX 9 had a camera on the boat focused on that compartment. There's no big blast, just a subtle poof and then smoke a boater might not even notice it at first. A little fire is burning under that housing.

Put it out quickly and you should be OK.

A lot of boats have carpeting and foam seats, which only provide more fuel for the flames.
They move very fast.

As the FOX 9 time lapse video shows, it only takes about five minutes before the entire boat is consumed by the fire. We can feel the intense heat from 40 feet away.

The FOX 9 investigators reviewed a decade worth of boat fires in the state.

Boats with inboard motors are twice more likely to have fires than those with outboards.
The primary cause is some type of equipment failure, usually within the engine or electrical system that provides the spark.

Regular safety checks will help you find hazards before they cause explosions or fires. It’s not expensive. In fact, you can get your boat inspected for free.

Free Inspection Information
http://www.minnetonkaps.org/weblog/?page_id=680

DNR Boat Safety
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/boatwater/index.html