A crane hoists the burned-out hull of the 36-foot “Hayley Brooke” out of the New Meadows River on Monday afternoon, hours after the boat exploded while its owners refueled at the dock of the New Meadows Marina. The West Bath couple sustained burns and other injuries and were treated and released from Mid Coast Hospital. Heavy smoke from the dramatic blast — which threw the woman into the air, according to officials — was visible for miles. The Maine Department of Marine Resources and Department of Environmental Protection were notified, and investigators from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office were on scene later in the day. (Beth Brogan / The Times Record)
(Donald Jamison / The Times Record)
The woman was found on the dock with burns and injuries to her lower extremities, and Stead sustained burns and other injuries, Couture said. Both were transported to Mid Coast Hospital. Both were treated and released, a hospital spokesman said today.
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, and assisted marina workers who floated booms to contain approximately 48 gallons of fuel that spilled into the New Meadows River.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources and De-partment of Environmental Protection were notified, and investigators from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office were on scene later in the day, Couture said.
“We’re lucky we didn’t have two fatalities,” Deputy Chief Jeff Emerson of the Brunswick Fire Department said at the scene.
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.”
bbrogan@timesrecord.com
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