Marina fire right down my block, Freeport NY-gctid349152

[joeydiver]

My wife took this shot right after she heard a "pop"; heard that 2 guys were working in an engine compartment and there was a gas leak which caused the explosion (unconfirmed but reliable source). They are badly burned from what a fireman told her, on their way to the burn center at NUMC.

On Hudson Canal, the old Jeffstar Marina:



Took these stills off News12 website, their chopper is still in the air:





Scary being so close to home - I can smell the burning fiberglass as I post this...

Joey

[Go Aweigh2452]

Looks like several boats went up as well... Hope they make it...

[Guest]

Scary to have a fire at a marina i hope everyone is alright

[Guest]

Here is a quote taken from the CBS New York news story:

"Investigators said the fire started when two workers routinely repairing an engine on a boat caused a spark that ignited some leftover gasoline and caused an explosion at the Approved Marine boat yard at around 3:30 p.m.

According to detectives, the workers believed a fuel tank from a boat that was in storage was completely empty and attempted to cut it out from its position using a power saw. The sparks that were created caused residual fuel and fumes to ignite and burst into flames."

While I feel this occurred due to a failure to take necessary precautions, it underscores the extent to which having a gasoline engine on a boat is a bad idea with respect to safety. The boat wasn't even in the water and it exploded. Can you imagine how serious the damage would have been if the explosion happened while the boat was docked in its slip on a sunny Saturday afternoon surrounded by other boat owners enjoying their boats? People make repairs/removals/cuttings into gas tanks when the boats are in the slip all the time. Needless to say, this would not have occurred if it was a Diesel boat.

[joeydiver]

From todays paper:

[I]The two injured men, both 30 and from Roosevelt, were extracting a fuel tank from a boat that was in storage at Approved Marine, 11 Hudson Ave., police said. Believing the tank to be completely empty of fuel, detectives said, the workmen attempted to cut the tank out from its position using a power saw. This caused sparks that ignited residual fuel and fumes that burst into flames, police said.The two men, who were not identified by name, were admitted to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow for treatment of non-life-threatening burns, police said, and were in stable condition.[/]

Joey

[Guest]

Astral Blue wrote:
Here is a quote taken from the https://"http://newyork.cbslocal.com...ork news story:

"Investigators said the fire started when two workers routinely repairing an engine on a boat caused a spark that [SIZE]3 wrote:
ignited some leftover gasoline[/SIZE] and caused an explosion at the Approved Marine boat yard at around 3:30 p.m.

According to detectives, the workers believed a fuel tank from a boat that was in storage was completely empty and attempted to cut it out from its position using a power saw. The sparks that were created caused residual fuel and fumes to ignite and burst into flames."

While I feel this occurred due to a failure to take necessary precautions, it underscores the extent to which having a gasoline engine on a boat is a bad idea with respect to safety. The boat wasn't even in the water and it exploded. Can you imagine how serious the damage would have been if the explosion happened while the boat was docked in its slip on a sunny Saturday afternoon surrounded by other boat owners enjoying their boats? People make repairs/removals/cuttings into gas tanks when the boats are in the slip all the time. Needless to say, this would not have occurred if it was a Diesel boat.

While I do agree with you that this wouldn't have happened with a diesel boat, this isn't an issue of diesel vs gasoline in my humble opinion. This is an issue of pure stupidity. What "skilled" worker in their right mind, nevermind two of them, would think of using a spark or heat generating tool around an empty or partially empty gasoline tank? It is the vapor/fumes that ignite, therefore making a completely full gasoline tank actually safer than a partially full tank (barely). Sorry, but these two candidates for the Darwin award brought it upon themselves. Millions of gasoline automobiles have been traveling our highways, parked in our garages, worked on in thousands of shops, and you don't see or hear of this issue. Plain and simply, as you stated, this was an issue of two yahoo's that lost their respect for safety, theirs and others. Chances are if they did this once, they've done it a thousand times. It was just a matter of time before Mr. Murphy or Lady Luck finally caught up with them.

-Jorden

[Guest]

Flash Jorden wrote:
While I do agree with you that this wouldn't have happened with a diesel boat, this isn't an issue of diesel vs gasoline in my humble opinion. This is an issue of pure stupidity. What "skilled" worker in their right mind, nevermind two of them, would think of using a spark or heat generating tool around an empty or partially empty gasoline tank? It is the vapor/fumes that ignite, therefore making a completely full gasoline tank actually safer than a partially full tank (barely). Sorry, but these two candidates for the Darwin award brought it upon themselves. Millions of gasoline automobiles have been traveling our highways, parked in our garages, worked on in thousands of shops, and you don't see or hear of this issue. Plain and simply, as you stated, this was an issue of two yahoo's that lost their respect for safety, theirs and others. Chances are if they did this once, they've done it a thousand times. It was just a matter of time before Mr. Murphy or Lady Luck finally caught up with them.

-Jorden

+1 at least they are going to live. Even with the tank empty, there can still be fumes...Why would you ever remove it with something that could cause spark...

[Guest]

I work at a oil facility in alberta.there are several ways to d o this. remove fluids steam for 4 hours then do a gas test or you can remove liquid and purge with nitrogen before cutting. diesel or gas they are both dangerous and should not be exposed to sparks or heat without the above procedures.

[Go Aweigh2452]

Well, at least the guys will make it and their shortcut got the tank out of the boat... unfortunately, it looks like it took many other boats with it...

[Guest]

Plain and simply, as you stated, this was an issue of two yahoo's that lost their respect for safety, theirs and others. Chances are if they did this once, they've done it a thousand times. It was just a matter of time before Mr. Murphy or Lady Luck finally caught up with them.

Yup.

There's no such thing as an empty gas tank. It's either full of gasoline fumes, or it's full of water and ready to cut. I was taught that even filling it with water and then draining it would not really be safe. Cut with water in the tank only.

[joeydiver]

SwampNut wrote:
Yup.

There's no such thing as an empty gas tank. It's either full of gasoline fumes, or it's full of water and ready to cut. I was taught that even filling it with water and then draining it would not really be safe. Cut with water in the tank only.

Yup, Ive also heard it should be filled with foam as well. Mostly to displace the fumes.

Joey

[joeydiver]

Joey

[Guest]

Man, I bet this is going to be a finger-pointing, run-around, insurance claim nightmare!

[Guest]

My boat is stored 2 marinas down from there and i was there working on my boat till 3:00pm. Drove right passed that marina about 20 min before this happened.

[Guest]

SwampNut wrote:
Yup.

There's no such thing as an empty gas tank. It's either full of gasoline fumes, or it's full of water and ready to cut. I was taught that even filling it with water and then draining it would not really be safe. Cut with water in the tank only.

+1!!!