Operator and his family had been swimming at the Blue Hole gravel bar on Shoal Creek.  He said that he had the engine cowling up while they were swimming because that is the area that he stored life jackets.  After storing the life jackets for everyone but his son, who was wearing his, they started the motor and began traveling down river toward the Fleet Harbor Boat Ramp.  Wife and their daughter were sitting on the engine cowling and they felt and hear a pop under them.  Operator opened the engine compartment and saw flames, and had everyone get out of the boat and into the water.  They were picked up by another boater and taken to shore.  The boat was drifting in the creek on fire when I arrived, I made sure that the passengers were safe and then keep other boaters away waiting on fire department crews.  Once the fire depts. by land and Killen V.F.D by boat were in position, they began trying to put the fire out.  The boat kept moving when water was sprayed on it, so I used my patrol boat to hold the boat in position against the bank while they used foam and water to put out the fire.  The boat submerged, but I was able to tow the boat to a nearby boat ramp and put it on the owner’s trailer and remove it from the water.
Cloverdale                    