On 7/5/2023 I Game Warden with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division (GA DNR LE) received a call from GSP about a vessel on fire in Liberty County on the Jerico river. I called the owner to get more information. Owner said the day before it rained, and his boat had water in the bottom of the hull. 

The next day Owner and his wife went out to his boat that was tied at his personal dock to change the bilge pump. While changing the bilge pump a spark was created causing the boat to catch fire. He said he believed there was gas inside the bilge.  He could not get to the fire extinguisher in the vessel. 

He went inside his home to get a fire extinguisher but by the time he came back the fire was too big. Owner pushed the boat away from the dock into the marsh as the boat continued to burn. Both individuals refused EMS treatment and drove to St. Joseph’s hospital for treatment. Owner sustained burns to both legs and Wife sustained abrasions on her lower right leg. His neighbors towed the boat back to his dock on 7/6/2023. 

I called Owner on 07/7/2023 to get more information but he was doing physical therapy and couldn’t provide any information. On 7/25/2023 I called to get more information, but he said he was in too much pain to talk. On 8/3/2023 I called Owner to get more information but he said the paperwork was upstairs and he couldn’t get to it due to pain. He told me that I could come to his house to get whatever information I needed. On 8/6/2023 I called him to set up a time to come to his house. He didn’t answer so I left a voicemail asking to come over on 8/11/2023 at 9am. He responded by text message saying it was okay for me to come at that date and time.

 On 8/11/2023 Myself and Game Warden First Class went to Owner house. I briefly spoke to wife until Owner came out of the house. He handed me some paperwork and said if I needed anything else to call his lawyer then went back inside. He did not provide an estimated damage or insurance number on the vessel.

Tidal Cree (VI)
MIDWAY                        