(Okoboji)– Seven people were injured Sunday afternoon when a 35-foot cabin cruiser exploded at a gas dock at Parks Marina on East Lake Okoboji.
Authorities say the blast happened around 1:30 p.m.
Seven people were said to have been injured–six adults and one child. But a spokesman for Lakes Regional Healthcare says only six were brought in to the Emergency Room. As of Sunday evening, three remained hospitalized in stable condition. There was no word on the extent of their injuries. No names were being released.
Authorities say three of those injured were on the boat; three were on the dock and one was on shore. Two of those on the boat were knocked into the water and had to be brought to shore with the assistance of someone on the dock.
The Spirit Lake and Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Departments were called to the scene along with ambulances from Lakes Regional Healthcare and Terril and Lake Park.
Spirit Lake Fire Chief Wally Jorgenson says smoke from the blaze could be seen for miles. Jorgenson says the boat was up against the dock next to some gas pumps and was fully engulfed. He says a small part of the dock had also been on fire, but was extinguished by the time firefighters arrived.
Jorgenson says the cause is still under investigation by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He says the explosion took place either while the boat was being fueled or moments after that.
The boat was completely destroyed. Jorgenson says what was left of it sank. Divers with the Okoboji Underwater Search and Rescue Unit were called in late Sunday afternoon to bring up what’s left.
It was less than two years ago a county-wide disaster drill was held with an explosion and fire at a gas dock as a scenario. Officials say that training definitely paid off in Sunday’s real-life incident.
