A Batavia couple is in the hospital recovering after a boat explosion on Keuka Lake.
The whole thing happened at the 37th annual Wine Country Classic Boat Show in Hammondsport.
The Chief of the Hammondsport Fire Department said excessive fumes were most likely the culprit.
A boat blower is used to ventilate explosive fumes. The Chief said the 1955 Century Coronado either did not have the blower on or didn’t have one at all, according to RochesterFirst.com.
Following the blast, the boat broke into two pieces and sank into Keuka Lake. In the process, a couple from Batavia was hurt.
The husband was treated at Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital for lacerations on his head.
His wife was airlifted to the burn unit at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for severe burns on her legs.
Debris were pushed close to shore, and the blast shot up dozens of feet into the air, according to bystanders. “I’d say stuff flew 30 to 40 feet in the air, I mean, just everything blew,” Donny Schneider of Williamsport Pa., who witnessed the blast told RochesterFirst.com. “I’m sure people wanted to go into help, but they needed to stay back so they could get it out,” Schneider added. “It was pretty somber after it went, everybody’s worried.”
The boat show wrapped up early as the fire departments, State Police and the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office picked up the pieces of a truly difficult day.
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