Two children were flown to a local hospital with burns after a boat explosion about noon Monday in Anne Arundel County.
A 32-foot Wellcraft boat with two engines had just pulled away from Oak Grove Marina on Solomons Island Road in Edgewater after refueling when it stalled, according to the operator. When he tried to restart the engines, there was an explosion and flash fire.
Adults on the boat threw the children into the water, then tossed life jackets to them. They were able to swim back to the dock.
A fire suppression system on the boat quickly extinguished the fire, which possibly was caused by a buildup of vapors in the engine compartment, though the blowers designed to prevent such buildup were on, according to the boater.
A 9-year-old boy and a girl of unknown age were flown to the Johns Hopkins burn unit in Baltimore with second- and third-degree burns. Others on the boat were taken to a hospital by ground with burns. None of the injuries is life-threatening.
Investigators are calling the fire accidental.
"There is no evidence of operator error," A Department of Natural Resources representative said.
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Children Burned in Anne Arundel Co. Boat Explosion
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