I'm glad everyone is O.K.. Those pictures make me sick to my stomach. That has always been a fear of mine, even with outboards.

im really shocked that doesnt happen more often, glad everyone is OK

Yikes, that's a helluva flame job... Glad to hear no one was injured. I know I'll definitely be more careful using the blower / airing out the engine compartment.

^ This

Just curious what motors were in this boat....if they were carbed or EFI?

Carb

Just wondering if there was not a fire suppression system in the engine bay? Seems like alot of $$$ to not have one...

You should never have anything electrical running while fueling. No radio, blower, etc.. Always a good idea to close hatches, cabin doors and the like.

What's everyone approx run time for blowers before starting, I live 10mins from ramp and leave the blower on till I get there.......but I also leave blower on when starting engine

I don't think a fire suppression will work with the hatches open , I had one put out a fire in my engine compartment a few years ago . I belive it suffocates the fire , but not positive

I might be interrpeting the pictures incorrectly, but it looks like the hatches were open, the engines were not running and that person was busy removing the cover just as the fire started.

My guess is he had just probably turned on the battery switches when something electrical might have shorted, started an electrical fire that burned quickly into a fuel line, possibly under fuel pressure and Vroom, there goes a ragging fire. This may have been a case where fuel fumes where not the culprit but battery amperage and a bad short. Just surmissing here but the hatch had been opened and he may have already smelled for fuel and such and the bilge blowers may have even been running, who knows?

In any case it is very sad when a boater looses his boat to a tragedy like this and the only good part of the story appears to be that no one was injured. From those pictures if that boat had had a successful launch and was loaded with persons and was leaving the dock when the fire broke out, the situation could have been a lot more tragic!

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar