Fire - Antelope Point?

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Like everyone else I am so happy to hear that all are ok. Any type of fire on a boat is scary and possibly life threatening. We will be on the lake starting a week from Saturday and this year I will look at all possible ignition points, fire fighting equipment locations and review an action plan should something happen. 5 minutes and were back to having fun.

Love LP
 
Having been responsible for the investigation of 25+ fighter aircraft accidents I'd advise those attempting to diagnose the cause from pictures and wild guesses to hold your analysis until some professionals investigate and the key people on the boat can be interviewed. My big take away for all the aircraft accidents I been responsible for is that the first guessers and armchair observers are usually wrong and their opinion often initiates rumors that don't hold up under professional scrutiny. Chuck
 
cfulton said:
Having been responsible for the investigation of 25+ fighter aircraft accidents I'd advise those attempting to diagnose the cause from pictures and wild guesses to hold your analysis until some professionals investigate and the key people on the boat can be interviewed. My big take away for all the aircraft accidents I been responsible for is that the first guessers and armchair observers are usually wrong and their opinion often initiates rumors that don't hold up under professional scrutiny. Chuck
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You are right. There is no way anyone can tell from these pictures what caused the fires and to say "that's what happened" just from looking at the pictures would just be speculation at it's finest.

Statistically speaking, gas fumes in bilges own a lot of events (if not the most) regarding houseboat fires and explosions in even small vessels, especially on inland waters and recreational vessels. It kinda looks like they were motoring down the canal so the intake and exhaust breathers should have prevented this. But only an investigation will determine that.

The second award probably goes to shotty electrical wiring. No one needs a permit or an inspection to perform electrical repairs and installations on vessels on the water. No one worries about it until the marine inspection is required. I have salvaged several boats that the wiring alone should have burnt it to the ground.

This fire could have been started by these, or so many other causes on that boat. But you are right. only a full investigation will determine the cause.
 
Dave I. said:
You are right. There is no way anyone can tell from these pictures what caused the fires and to say "that's what happened" just from looking at the pictures would just be speculation at it's finest.

Statistically speaking, gas fumes in bilges own a lot of events (if not the most) regarding houseboat fires and explosions in even small vessels, especially on inland waters and recreational vessels. It kinda looks like they were motoring down the canal so the intake and exhaust breathers should have prevented this. But only an investigation will determine that.

The second award probably goes to shotty electrical wiring. No one needs a permit or an inspection to perform electrical repairs and installations on vessels on the water. No one worries about it until the marine inspection is required. I have salvaged several boats that the wiring alone should have burnt it to the ground.

This fire could have been started by these, or so many other causes on that boat. But you are right. only a full investigation will determine the cause.
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Talking about gas fumes in these hull bottom boats....
I think it was last year, a family was beached. Unaware of a fuel leak in the bilge and they started the generator. I think 1-2 people died in that accident.
Let's not forget the dreaded Offshore accident that burnt 3 houseboats to the ground. Again, fuel in the bilge and he was charging batteries. Disconnected the charger and one spark is all it took. I never heard is he lived or not...

Remember to make sure you have ventilation in these kind of boats. It can be life saving
 
Dave I. said:
You are right. There is no way anyone can tell from these pictures what caused the fires and to say "that's what happened" just from looking at the pictures would just be speculation at it's finest.

Statistically speaking, gas fumes in bilges own a lot of events (if not the most) regarding houseboat fires and explosions in even small vessels, especially on inland waters and recreational vessels. It kinda looks like they were motoring down the canal so the intake and exhaust breathers should have prevented this. But only an investigation will determine that.

The second award probably goes to shotty electrical wiring. No one needs a permit or an inspection to perform electrical repairs and installations on vessels on the water. No one worries about it until the marine inspection is required. I have salvaged several boats that the wiring alone should have burnt it to the ground.

This fire could have been started by these, or so many other causes on that boat. But you are right. only a full investigation will determine the cause.
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I have heard of a couple near misses on our houseboat. One involved the toy tank pump, which started sparking during a fill. It was quickly shut down and replaced. The second was a fuel line that started leaking.

We had our own issue this past July. Whoever did fuel service filled the toy tank to the absolute top. In the extreme heat of late July, the toy tank started spitting gas into the water. We couldn't figure out why it kept smelling like gas and why we kept seeing a sheen on the water. I thought the generator was running rich and spitting out gas in the exhaust. I didn't notice gas coming out of the tank vent until the next day when I was right by the vent and saw it spit while filling our boat with a gas can. We quickly switched over to the toy tank pump, relieved the excess, and had no more issues with gas in the water. There are myriad ways things can go wrong that the pictures will not help anyone understand.

It is wonderful that everyone got off that boat and is safe. It is horrible that a family has had such a traumatic event. It is also horrible that the many owners of that boat have seen something they love go up in flames.
 
nzaugg said:
I have heard of a couple near misses on our houseboat. One involved the toy tank pump, which started sparking during a fill. It was quickly shut down and replaced. The second was a fuel line that started leaking.

We had our own issue this past July. Whoever did fuel service filled the toy tank to the absolute top. In the extreme heat of late July, the toy tank started spitting gas into the water. We couldn't figure out why it kept smelling like gas and why we kept seeing a sheen on the water. I thought the generator was running rich and spitting out gas in the exhaust. I didn't notice gas coming out of the tank vent until the next day when I was right by the vent and saw it spit while filling our boat with a gas can. We quickly switched over to the toy tank pump, relieved the excess, and had no more issues with gas in the water. There are myriad ways things can go wrong that the pictures will not help anyone understand.

It is wonderful that everyone got off that boat and is safe. It is horrible that a family has had such a traumatic event. It is also horrible that the many owners of that boat have seen something they love go up in flames.
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Exactly. It is a tragedy but could have been a lot worse.
I once got to see a family leave the lake without their 4 y.o. daughter. Never want to see that again. :(

So happy to hear everyone is safe.
 
airford1 said:
What is the record number of people on a houseboat. 25 seems to be alot to me
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That is a loaded, legal question.
Were they under way down the canal? Were they parked?
Did they have adequate life jackets for all 25 people?
Throw cushions?
Then there is so many other things the coast guard could look at. Even down to having enough restroom facilities for everyone. This could be a legal nightmare for the family that's already been thru enough.

It's just terrible to see a big family gathering end like this. I'm sure the park service (and their nurturing nature) will look over all these details. :(
 
Dave I. said:
That is a loaded, legal question.
Were they under way down the canal? Were they parked?
Did they have adequate life jackets for all 25 people?
Throw cushions?
Then there is so many other things the coast guard could look at. Even down to having enough restroom facilities for everyone. This could be a legal nightmare for the family that's already been thru enough.

It's just terrible to see a big family gathering end like this. I'm sure the park service (and their nurturing nature) will look over all these details. :(
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And will their insurance company deny a claim because of this?
 
Gem Morris said:
And will their insurance company deny a claim because of this?
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It probably depends 100% on how the policy is written. I see people that deal with insurance and they all have one thing in common. They are ok with paying for the little things but a total loss like this, I be the lawyers will be going thru that policy with a fine tooth comb to figure out what can exempt them from paying out.
Ryan said:
In order to deny a claim there would have to be a written policy exclusion. I think (and hope) there would be very very little chance for that.
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I beg to differ on this one. To be covered, it has to be written in. If it's not written in, it's not covered If it's not written in, and they can claim deniability and not pay out.

Just like homeowners insurance. If you have a broken pipe and it destroys 3 rooms in your home, it won't be covered unless you have the required "flood" insurance written in even though homeowner insurance covers your home from damages.

I hope their insurance don't give them any issues with paying out, but they are usually very difficult to deal with on big payouts like this one.
 
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