Crews extinguish boat fire in driveway; man airlifted with burns
Rescue crews airlifted a man to the hospital after he suffered serious burns in a boat fire that ignited in a Lauderdale Lakes driveway
By Sheldon Fox, Jessica Vallejo, Matthew Garcia
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LAUDERDALE LAKES, Florida (WSVN) — Rescue crews airlifted a man to the hospital after he suffered serious burns in a boat fire that ignited in a Lauderdale Lakes driveway, officials said.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue units responded to reports of a boat on fire outside a home along the 3500 block of Northwest 33rd Street, just before 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Crews arrived to discover a 20-foot vessel fully engulfed in flames.
Neighbors rushed out of their homes as smoke filled the air.
Area resident Maureen Charles said the flames spread quickly.
“My sister just went into the door, screaming, ‘There’s a fire,’ so I ran out and the fire was – it was coming across here very fast, and it was very massive,” she said. “Plus, there was a lot of smoke. I couldn’t really breathe, and I was so worried if everybody was OK. My heart was pounding, I was worried, and I really hope that my house right there didn’t catch on fire.”
While putting out the flames, firefighters found the victim suffering from serious burn injuries.
Paramedics treated the man at the scene until he could be airlifted to Broward Health Medical Center. As of Friday morning, his condition is unknown.
The boat fire has been fully extinguished, however the boat was destroyed. Officials said the flames were contained to the vessel, with the roof of an adjacent home suffering minor damage.
No other injuries were reported.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been requested to investigate what started the fire.
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