On Friday, October 25, 2024, preparations were underway for the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in Florida. A five-man crew delivered a 50-foot vessel by trailer and began fueling it.
The boat exploded at approximately 4:30 p.m. at Nautical Ventures Marina in Dania Beach. Black smoke filled the air for miles. Broward County Sheriff’s Fire Rescue was dispatched.
Witnesses from the Rustic Inn Crabhouse and Island Joe’s Cafe, and a man riding his bicycle in the area, recounted the massive boom from the marina. “It was pretty intense. It was honestly the loudest thing that I’ve ever heard,” said one woman.
“The windows were shaking,” said Danielle Schmergel, an employee at the Rustic Inn Crabhouse.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators did not identify the victims. Four others were severely wounded from blast injuries and burns. They were admitted in critical condition.
Two of the surviving victims were transported to Broward Health Medical Center and the two others to Memorial Regional Hospital.