RedactedNarrative: On 5/18/2019 at approximately 4:00pm I, Game Warden was on vessel patrol on West Point Lake in LaGrange with Game Warden. Game Warden received a call from our supervisor, Sergeant, about a vessel fire at Sunny Point Access on the lake. I initiated my vessels’ emergency lights and sirens and responded to the area.
  
  Upon our arrival we observed what appeared to be a yellow and white ski boat fully engulfed in fire. The boat was later identified by the Hull Identification Number as a 2000 19ft Chaparral Ski boat with Georgia registration GA0387MD. We were told while passing the Lagrange Fire Department on the HWY 219 Bridge that all occupants were out of the water and accounted for. GW and I approached the boat and attempted to extinguish the fire with a wash down hose onboard my patrol vessel but were unsuccessful. We then met with two LFD firefighters at the Sunny Point boat ramp and brought them to the vessel where they extinguished the fire enough to place a tow rope to the front eye hook of the vessel. We then towed the vessel back to the Sunny Point boat ramp where it was pulled up to the ramp and extinguished fully by firefighters on the ramp. GW and I spoke with the boat owner and operator.
  
  Operator explained that he recently filled the boat up with fuel earlier in the day and that he thought it was odd that the vessel required approximately $80.00 in fuel due to the fact the boat had not been used much this season and that the tank was not that large. He stated that he filled the boat fuel tank fully. 
  Upon arrival at the ramp he, his wife, and his daughter were in the vessel when it was backed into the water. Upon entering the water and off the trailer Operator stated that he started the engine blower (ventilation) for some time and then attempted to start the vessel. Upon starting the vessel there was a large pop and burst of what sounded like an explosion. 
  
  Wife and Daughter were sitting in the rear of the vessel next to the engine compartment. After the noise Daughter felt like she was burning and ran to the front of the vessel and jumped off the bow into the water. Wife also felt like there was something wrong and also ran to the front of the vessel but did not jump off the vessel. Daughter swam to the floating courtesy dock and was helped out of the water by her fiancé who was still on the dock after backing the boat and trailer into the water. Operator stated that at that time he did not see anything that was wrong with the boat but out of caution decided it was best for them not to take the vessel on the water that day. He then was able to get the boat to the dock where Wife got off the vessel. He then told Daughter’s’ fiancé to go get the trailer and they would load it back on the trailer. He then pushed away from the dock due to waiting vessels and to load the boat back on the trailer.
  
  Upon pushing away from the dock Operator attempted to start the vessel again approximately 100ft from the dock. While trying to start the vessel he noticed that the fuel gage, which was recently worked on over the previous winter, was already reading approximately a half to three quarters of a tank. Upon starting the boat there was another large pop and explosion sound that occurred in the engine compartment. Operator quickly went back to the compartment and lifted the cover observing a large fire at the bottom of the compartment. Operator attempted to reach the fire extinguisher on the vessel which was in the engine compartment but was unable to due to the flames. Operator then decided to jump off the boat into the water. He was rescued a short time later by another vessel near the area and brought to the dock. The boat then proceeded to continue to catch fire burning the entire inside of the vessel to the top of the gunwale until our arrival on the scene. Operator stated that he believed that there was a large fuel leak in the engine
  