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Boat explodes in Bay Park

Man swims to safety, East Rockaway firefighters extinguish blaze

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A man swam to safety after his boat exploded around 5:30 p.m. on July 27 in Bay Park. A source told the Herald that the man said he started his boat and it just went “boom!”

According to East Rockaway Fire Department Chief Gene Torborg, the man jumped into the water once the fire started, and swam to shore. He was not injured, and was pulled to safety by people that were fishing on the docks.

Upon the arrival of the ERFD, the boat was adrift and floating towards the docks on the East Rockaway side of the canal in Bay Park, Torborg said. The fire destroyed the boat and a section of bulkheading. The blaze was brought under control by firefighters in about 20 minutes.