A boat exploded while refueling the New Meadows Marina, injuring a West Bath couple who were taken to Mid Coast Hospital for treatment. (Darcie Moore / The Times Record)
Todd Stead, 42, of West Bath, and his 40-year-old girlfriend — whose name was unavailable at press time — were refueling the power boat at the dock just after 1:30 p.m. when the vessel “exploded,” sending debris — and the woman — flying into the air, witnesses told Maine Marine Patrol Officer Scott Couture.
The woman was found on the dock with burns and injuries to her lower extremities, and Stead sustained burns and possible internal injuries, Couture said. Both were transported to Mid Coast Hospital.
Their conditions were not available Monday afternoon. The woman’s 9-year-old daughter was nearby on the dock at the time of the incident and was uninjured.
Brunswick, West Bath, Bath and Topsham firefighters responded to the scene, where the boat was completely submerged a half-hour after the explosion. Marina workers assisted with floating booms to contain fuel that spilled into the New Meadows River.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources and Department of Environmental Protection were notified, and investigators from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office were en route this afternoon to investigate, Couture said.
“We’re lucky we didn’t have two fatalities,” Deputy Chief Jeff Emerson of the Brunswick Fire Department said. Couture said the exact cause of the explosion is unclear, but that Stead “said he had some engine trouble and it had been running rough.”
Investigators from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office were en route this afternoon to investigate, according to Couture.
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