On august 11, 2013 on the davidson creek portion of lake norman, a fire started in the engine compartment of vessel 1.  The vessel was and inboard/outboard open construction motorboat with an estimated 205 hp engine.  The accident occurred while the vessel was idling out of a canal heading away from the inland sea marine, lat n 35.550764 long: w -80.92454.  There were no other passengers on board the vessel at the time of the incident.
 
Operator fueled his vessel with gasoline at the inland sea marina sometime before 1:00pm.  After fueling his vessel, he idled away from the marina cove heading toward davidson creek.  A short time after leaving, operator stated that he heard a loud "pop" in the stern of his vessel.  When he turned to look at the rear of the vessel, he realized that a fire had started in the engine compartment.  Operator attempted to open the engine cover, which resulted in him burning his hands and fingers.  Operator used a type bc-1 fire extinguisher which was on the vessel to extinguish the fire.
Emergency medical services were called to the scene where operator was treated for minor burns to the hands.  Operator refused to be transported to the hospital.
The initial investigation of the boat accident revealed that the ventilation system was on (indicated by the switch being in the "on" position) during fueling while operator was idling away from the marina.  Although the ventilation system was on, close inspection revealed that the ventilation hose leading to the engine compartment had been damaged prior to the incident, thus not allowing proper ventilation of any gas fumes.  In addition, it was discovered that the backfire flame arrestor was dirty and covered in an oily film which apparently did not allow it to properly arrest a spark from the engine.  Those two factors caused a fire to start causing vessel damage and personal injury.
The resulting damage to the vessel was that the engine cover was burned and charred as was the boat motor and surrounding parts.  It was determined that the vessel was equipped with proper flotation devices and fire extinguisher and it does not appear that alcohol played a part in this accident.
MOORESVILLE