Man burned when boat explodes in south Merrick

Gasoline vapors ignited as a man was working on a small boat moored at a dock off Hewlett Avenue in south Merrick on Sunday at around 5:20 p.m., causing an explosion that burned him and sent him hurtling into the water, said Ron Luparello, the Merrick Fire Department’s spokesman.

    Twenty-five volunteers from the Merrick F.D., including members of its water rescue team, responded. The man, whom police and fire officials did not identify, suffered minor burns on his face, arms and legs. He was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where he was treated in the emergency room and reportedly released.

    According to Nassau County police, a 43-year-old boater was experiencing engine trouble in Sea Dog Creek, off Freeport, and had his boat towed to Merrick for repairs. It was unclear whether the boater or a mechanic was working on the engine at the time of the explosion, Luparello said.

    Merrick firefighters needed 10 to 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Luparello said. They prepared to apply foam to the fire because gasoline and oil had leaked from the boat into the water. If the fuel had ignited, he said, the fire could have spread to the wooden dock or burned on the water’s surface and spread to the surrounding area. The fire, he said, “would just burn wherever it goes.” Only water, however, was needed to extinguish the blaze.

    Merrick’s water rescue team, meanwhile, searched the area for other possible victims who might have been thrown into the water in the blast. There were none, Luparello said.

    A Town of Hempstead bay constable was also called in, as were representatives of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, who assessed the damage from the fuel leak.

    Flames engulfed the boat, which partially sank as firefighters doused it with their hose, Luparello said. It was later removed.

    No other injuries were reported.