PANAMA CITY — A man suffered burns in a boat fire Friday evening at Watson Bayou Marina, according to the Panama City Fire Department.
Firefighters were called to blaze about 5:30 p.m. The boat’s owner and a friend were at the scene when the fire ignited, the Fire Department reported.
Neither person was identified by fire officials.
The friend received burn injuries and was taken to Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart for treatment. He will likely be transferred to a burn center, fire officials said.
Firefighters from the PCFD were assisted by Bay County Fire Rescue and the US Coast Guard to extinguish the fire, which started on a 35-foot sportfishing-type boat and spread to the 40-foot cabin cruiser-type boat in the next slip and to the dock and associated wooden pilings. The fire was extinguished and the boat’s stern eventually sank with the cabin portion and aluminum bow railings remaining visible above water.
An investigation by PCFD officials and the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire to be accidental.