A leisurely afternoon on Douglas Lake took an explosive turn last Saturday when a boat burst into flames near Sunbeam Lane. The Dandridge Fire Department, responding to the call, said no one was injured in the blaze that erupted around 2 p.m., according to a WVLT report. While battling with the flames after an alleged explosion, fire officials confirmed that all on board managed to escape unscathed.
Upon their dispatch to the fiery scene, the Dandridge Fire Department revealed via a social media update that there was a possible explosion but no reported injuries. "Dandridge Fire was dispatched to Douglas Lake in area of Sunbeam Lane for report of a Boat Fire with possible explosion," the department posted on Facebook. Thankfully, the incident did not escalate further thanks to the prompt response of emergency services.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) provided further details on the incident. As flames enveloped the vessel, the desperate attempts of the owner to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher proved unsuccessful. "The owner attempted to put the fire out. Deployed a fire extinguisher. Didn't put out the fire and he exited the boat," TWRA said, as reported by WBIR. Measures were taken to limit the potential spread of the fire to the surrounding environment.
With safety being the primary concern, actions were swiftly undertaken to prevent the fire from reaching the shore. "It was against shore so we pulled it out to open water to prevent the spread of fire to the cedar thicket on land," TWRA explicated. The details were scanty about the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage to the vessel. Investigators, at the time of reporting, still scrambling to piece together the events leading up to the combustion, have yet to release a statement.
