Sounds like gasoline in the bilge.


SEQUIM, Wash. � A 40-foot boat that exploded at a marina on Washington's Olympic Peninsula Tuesday evening broke windows, inflicted shrapnel-type damage on other nearby vessels and seriously injured a 78-year-old man, firefighters said.

The force of the blast sank the boat, briefly trapping the lone occupant in the hull in the water, Clallam County Fire District No. 3 spokesman Patrick Young said.

Clifford and Julie Houser, who were on a nearby boat, were knocked off their feet by the blast, according to the Sequim Gazette.

Their boat sustained substantial damage, the paper said.

It added that the couple helped the injured man out after finding him covered in debris and in water inside his boat.

Burns, fractures
The man is believed to have lived on the boat, Young said.

Medics said he suffered burns and fractures. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a police dispatcher said. He wasn't immediately identified.

Young said he didn't know exactly how many other boats were damaged along the slip at the John Wayne Marina in the town of Sequim.

But he said boats as far away as 75 yards received damage.

The Coast Guard and police are investigating the cause of the explosion.

Spill response crews worked to mop up an undetermined amount of fuel from the shattered boat.

Might be propane, a lot of the live aboards in the Pacific NW have propane stoves in their boats and do not have a clue about heavy vapors in the bildge.

But, gas gets my nod, especially in an older live aboard. The story will come out in a few days.

There was a propane explosion a few weeks ago on a commercial boat here, stuff can do a lot of damage.

Yes, didn't think of propane. None of my boats ever had it. I was always respectful of the possibility of on board fires. Always kept an eye on the stove if someone else was cooking, no candles on board, no oil/grease in the engine or generator rooms, clean bilges, properly maintained batteries, cables, and chargers, etc.
On board fires are a nightmare.

Most boats under 30 feet are gassers.. If his fire wasn't due to propane, methinks another possibility is he forgot to ventilate the engine compartment before he fired up the engines.. Pre-ignition ventilation is nearly mandatory - no boater with I/Os, unless drunk, is stupid enough to just jump on board and turn the key.. That's just askin' for a fire..

Nothing to do with this event, but FYI, the town's name is pronounced Skwim. The E is silent.
There are lots of live-in boats all around Puget Sound. Hopefully this will be a wake-up call for them to check out their own boats.

Newspaper says propane explosion.

A just installed system, looks like the gent did not really know what he was doing.

Boat was a 38 foot Garden design with diesel power.

Boat on the bottom in the harbor, adjoining boats damaged.

So, folks, if you do not know what you are doing with propane installations on a boat, get some pro help! My theory: Propane has no business on a boat. This was the second boat propane incident in this area in a month.

Owner in critical condition

Yup on the pronouncing.

When folks here head to Sequim to hit Costco and Home Depot and for other shopping, they say "We are going skwimming".

Sequim is an old timers term meaning:

"Place where retired Californians come to take over the local politics and make the area look like a California strip mall."

Good post - and spot on..

But at least Clallam County votes right. I am stuck one county east and there are about twelve conservatives in thw whole county!

Yer too close to Port Townsend!!!!!

My great aunt and uncle lived in Sequim back when it was still mostly farms (late 40's throuh early 80's). Last time I was through the area ~10 years ago it looked like suburbia .