BRUNSWICK — Fire officials are investigating an explosion that destroyed a 37-foot yacht and sent a local couple to the hospital Monday.

Fire officials said the boaters pulled up to the fueling dock at New Meadows Marina on the New Meadows River just before noon Monday. The husband pumped 48 gallons of gasoline, and something on the wood-and-fiberglass boat exploded, said Brunswick Fire Department Capt. Roger Dionne.

“The woman was on the bow doing some work, and she was lifted into the air and landed down on the boat,” Dionne said. “The explosion blew the man back, and he suffered some minor burns.”

Officials transported the woman to Midcoast Hospital in Brunswick, and the man transported himself. The couple’s names and conditions were not available Monday night. Dionne said their injuries were not life-threatening.

The explosion sent a huge fireball into the air, and smoke from the fire was visible for several miles.

Dionne praised dock workers for untying the boat and pushing it away from the dock into the open water. “That definitely helped keep it from spreading to the dock area or to other boats,” he said.

The marina is in Brunswick at the West Bath line on Old Bath Road. The West Bath Fire Department was first on the scene and fought the fire from the dock.

Dionne said an investigation into the cause of fire is continuing.

 


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