Rangers responded to the report of a vessel fire just east of Sandy Point on Lake Mead.  Upon arrival the vessel was completely burnt out and the only occupant during the fire/explosion was being treated by NPS Rangers at Callville Bay.  Interview with the vessel owner and only occupant at the time of the fire/explosion revealed the following information:

OPERATOR1 stated he saw a little bit of white smoke coming from the engine cover area while on the shoreline.  OPERATOR1 returned to the beached vessel to get a pair of shoes and investigate the white smoke.  OPERATOR1 stated he knelt on the rear seats and grabbed ahold of the engine cover.  OPERATOR1 stated that before he could lift the engine cover it exploded and engulfed his face and arms in flames.  OPERATOR1 stated the force of the explosion caused the engine cover to fly off from the vessel. OPERATOR1 stated he immediately jumped into the water to cool off his face and arms.  OPERATOR1 stated the then watched his 29'' Cheetah vessel quickly burn up.

OPERATOR1 stated he had been running the vessel for the previous hour before the explosion at about 3500 rpms.  OPERATOR1 stated he then beached the vessel and climbed on the shoreline with his unidentified friend "Poncho" to go fishing.  OPERATOR1 stated when he returned for his shoes the above chain of events took place.

I interviewed OPERATOR1 in the hospital approximately 2 hours after the explosion and noted injuries consistent with OPERATOR1''s account of the fire/explosion.  OPERATOR1 had burns to the front of his face, removing his eye brows, and indications of burns to the back of his neck and circumferential burns to both of his arms.

On 02/06/2013 I photographed the vessel after it had been salvaged by Callville Bay Marina.  The damage to the vessel was to extensive to determine the cause of the potential fuel leak that caused the fire/explosion on 02/04/2013.
Boulder City