Bodycam video shows rescue following boat explosion at Lake Havasu
By: -----
Lake Havasu, AZ - Body camera video shows deputies responding to a large explosion on a boat that injured three people and left a stubborn fire burning on Lake Havasu on Friday, March 20.
Video provided by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Division of Boating Safety is at the top of this story. Deputies Bare and Kjellberg are identified as the first responders.
A man in the water with a cut on his leg was still bleeding when deputies rescued him. He said it “just exploded.” He was sitting up in the patrol boat as deputies applied a tourniquet.
In all, three men were in the water when deputies arrived. One had burns and the other told deputies he wasn’t hurt. Updates on the victims’ conditions were not provided.
The time it took for deputies to arrive from Thompson Bay until the incident was over lasted about six minutes, according to the Division of Boating Safety. Another group of boaters arrived to assist the men, deputies noted.
Deputies made sure the men were safe before beginning efforts to put out the fire in the stern. Smoke rose from the boat as they approached, and flames were visible. Two small extinguishers failed to put out the fire.
Deputies then used the boat’s motor to flood the fire with water twice before it was out.