Thursday, March 28

Owner Pumps Gas into Rod Holder, Boat Explodes at Fuel Dock

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After the explosion and fire, several people said this type of mistake happens more often than you’d think: Someone pours gasoline into a fishing rod holder, thinking they’re filling the fuel tank.

That’s exactly what happened around 4 on a Friday afternoon at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center at Ocean Isle Beach, which is between Bald Head Island and Myrtle Beach, North Carolina. David Martin, Jr., 40, and Jonathan Bickett, 35, both from Charlotte, thought they were filling up the fuel tank on Martin’s boat with gas. Instead, they were pouring gas into a rod holder.

Jeff Williamson, who runs a fishing charter boat there, saw a sheen of gas on the water and told them to stop. They had already pumped 28 gallons into the rod holder. Willamson told them to call Sea Tow to get the boat away from the fuel dock.

A few minutes later, Kendrick Schwarz from Sea Tow arrived on the dock; he’s also a volunteer firefighter. At that point, Martin decided to disconnect either the battery or the bulge pump, stories differ, and a spark set off a massive explosion and fire. A helicopter flew Martin and Bickett to the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill, and an ambulance took Schwarz to a hospital in Myrtle Beach. For more:

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