On 11-10-09 we were advised of a boat (V1) that caught on fire and sank.  The responding fire/rescue personnel on scene report when they arrived, V1 was fully engulfed.  They also stated they were unable to extinguish the fire before V1 sank.  I interviewed the owner/operator and he stated he was the only person onboard at the time and didn't recall seeing any witnesses.  He stated he heard a miss in the engine and discovered a fire; he then throttled up and the engine blew.  He said he saw flames shooting out of the engine and he tried to extinguish the blaze with a fire extinguisher but couldn't so he "jumped ship".  He was able to swim to Hill Wheatley boat ramp. 

Operator was going to make arrangements to have V1 recovered the next day.
HOT SPRINGS                   