A man was injured Tuesday afternoon when a inflatable boat caught fire while being launched at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor in Kailua-Kona.
A man was injured Tuesday afternoon when a inflatable boat caught fire while being launched at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor in Kailua-Kona.
Responding to the 6:25 p.m. report, fire rescue personnel found the Sea Hawaii Rafting 25-foot vessel on its trailer with its floorboards open and dry chemical fire extinguisher contents all over the boat’s interior, according to the Hawaii Fire Department. A man was found a short distance from the vessel with people helping hold a crude and bloody dressing to his head.
The man, who was walking and talking, suffered a laceration to his head and singed hairs on his arms and face, according to the department. He was transported to Kona Community Hospital in good condition.
According to the department, the explosion was caused when gasoline fumes below the deck ignited while the vessel was being launched from the harbor’s mauka ramp. The boat’s owner/operator, crew and bystanders helped extinguish the flames. The vessel reportedly had an automatic fire extinguishing system.
Fire officials estimated damage at $3,000.