A man was hospitalized with second-degree burns after a boat caught fire in Pompano Beach Wednesday, officials said.
Firefighters responded to an explosion and fire at 1008 Northeast 26th Avenue around 3:15 p.m. and found heavy smoke and flames behind the waterfront home, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue officials said.
"Huge, it was like hundreds of feet in the air, big black smoke," neighbor Christina Araya said.
The firefighters used foam to put out the fire, which had engulfed a 30-foot boat named Prime Time. A 60-year-old man was taken as a trauma alert to Broward Health North with second-degree burns on his face, hands and torso, officials said.
It appears the man was a mechanic who was working on the boat. No one else was hurt.
"When we got here he was walking around, he was conscious and walking around in shock but badly burned so upon seeing him you think everything is ok but that's certainly not the case," said Sandra King, a spokeswoman with the City of Pompano Beach.
The boat was towed to a yacht center in Fort Lauderdale but is a complete loss.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
