On 7/6/2013, i, wildlife enforcement officer responded to the scene of a boat fire.  We arrived at the scene around 7:00pm.  We found that the fire had been extinguished by the littleton fire department.  The vessel was being towed by a relative of the owner of the vessel to a nearby boat ramp.  At the ramp, we found the operator of the vessel age 17 and three other teenage boys that were passengers on the vessel.  The operator stated that they filled the vessel with five gallons of gas just before launching the vessel from the dock to go water skiing.  The operator ran the boat for a short time in order to warm up the engine.  The operator stated the engine started to sputter and he shut it off.  He stated that he let it sit for a short time and then turned on the blower to the engine.  He then re-cranked the engine and the vessel caught fire near the engine.  He stated that they were unable to use the fire extinguisher because it was located in a rear compartment near the fire.  The operator put the vessel in forward gear and the vessel burst into flames.  The operator and the other three passengers jumped from the boat into the water while holding on to personal flotation devices and then swam to shore.  The vessel burned down to the waterline.  Due to the extensive damage from the fire, the exact cause of the fire is unknown.  There were no injuries that needed medical treatment.
 
There are two pictures showing the damage to the vessel.  The first picture marked pic #1 is the vessel being towed after the fire.  The second picture marked pic #2shows the damage to the inside of the vessel.
LITTLETON