1 Dead and 5 Injured After Boat Explosion at Marina (Video)

A devastating boat explosion at a Fort Lauderdale marina on Monday left one person dead and five others hospitalized, with dramatic scenes captured on an EarthCam feed. The explosion, which occurred just before 6 p.m. at Lauderdale Marina, sent shockwaves through the area and ignited a fierce blaze that quickly spread to a second vessel.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue arrived to find the inferno engulfing the boats as black smoke billowed into the sky. Five individuals were rushed to nearby hospitals, three of them with traumatic injuries, officials said. Tragically, a missing person was later found deceased in the water by the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Maria Sanz, who was aboard a nearby boat with her family, described the moment the explosion shattered the evening calm. “I thought it was like a firecracker, but when I turned, it was a boat… We saw a lot of smoke,” she told NBC News South Florida.

Amid the chaos, Sanz and her family attempted to rescue victims from the water, even as the fire began to consume their own vessel.

“My cousin was kneeling in front of the boat, holding on to a girl who was drowning,” Sanz recounted. “She was trying to keep her head above water.”

Sanz also witnessed another victim struggling in the water. “I saw a guy trying not to drown. I ran to the dock and started throwing a rope while screaming for help,” she said.

As flames spread, Sanz’s own boat caught fire. “The front and side of our boat were burning while we were still trying to get people out of the water,” she recalled.

The harrowing incident was captured on an EarthCam feed at the marina, showing the moment of the explosion and the frantic aftermath. The footage reveals people rushing along the dock as the flames intensified.

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The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Multiple agencies, including the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the U.S. Coast Guard, are working together to uncover what led to the tragedy.

Fire officials stated that once the damaged vessels are removed and closely examined, investigators will have a clearer understanding of the incident.