Hammondsport, NY – Two people are recovering after their boat exploded on Keuka Lake, Saturday afternoon.
The Steuben County Sheriff’s Office tells us a male and female passenger from Batavia were in the area, for the Annual Wine Country Classic Boat Show.
Sheriff Jim Allard said the incident is something no one could have predicted. “It was a beautiful day… and it was a tragic incident that occurred thats an anomaly to whats happened before at this boat show.”
The blast happened shortly before the annual boat parade.
Officials believe fumes on the boat ignited when the fully-restored 1955 Century Coronado was started.
The explosion sent shrapnel and debris flying. While some of the debris was recovered from the surface of the water, the rest sank.
The Hammondsport Fire and Sheriffs Navigation boats were on hand for the show and quickly got the fire under control.
“Our combined dive teams are scheduled to bring up the rest of the debris and get a final determination [of the cause],” said Allard.
Both victims were pulled from the water and taken to the hospital. The male victim was treated and released from Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. The female victim remains at Strong Memorial Hospital for burns. Officials say she’s in stable condition.
Wine Country Classic Boat Show Chairperson, Patti Bandy says she hops both victims make a full recovery. “We had a beautiful weekend and everything was going great and its just very sad that that happened to them.”