Boat destroyed by fire was no stranger to misfortune

LACONIA – It was good fortune. It was a misfortune.

No one was seriously injured when a boat burst into flames at Weirs Beach dock Saturday afternoon, prompting bystanders and operators of other nearby watercraft to rush to the scene and do what they could to help.

“It was nothing short of a blessing and a miracle,” Jason Johnson, 39, the owner of the 1993 25-foot Formula powerboat said Monday. “The way my daughter was ejected (from the burning boat) doesn’t make sense.”

But while a tragedy was averted, it was the second time in less than a year that calamity had struck the vessel. Sometime late last September or early October, one or more people stole and then partially sunk the boat. At the time Johnson, of Derry, offered a $1,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest of whoever was responsible. So far, no one has been charged in connection with the incident, according to Marine Patrol.

The investigation into Saturday’s mishap was continuing, Laconia Fire Chief Kirk Beattie said Monday. But he said all the evidence so far points to the fire being accidental.

The boat had just refueled and was preparing to get underway shortly after 4 p.m. when, suddenly, it was fully ablaze. The flames severed the boat’s mooring lines, causing the burning vessel to drift toward the public Weirs Docks where the MS Mount Washington and a number of pleasure boats were tied up.

Witness Lisa Figaro gave the following account in an email to The Laconia Daily Sun: "I was with my husband and four children at the arcade at the pier when we heard something that sounded like a boat crashing into the dock. Shortly after there were screams of a fire and everyone was running out of the arcade. My husband, a lieutenant with the FDNY, ran down to the boat on fire to see if he could help."

Figaro said her husband and another man pulled the operator of the boat out of the water to safety.

At one point the boat came within 20 or 30 feet of the Mount Washington, according to Capt. Robert Duffey, who was in charge of the 230-foot excursion vessel which had just discharged its passengers from a cruise around the lake.

Two unidentified good samaritans on personal watercraft pulled the fully engulfed boat out away from land, saving further damage to other boats and the Mount Washington, Laconia police said in a press release.

Duffey said that quick action averted what could have become a more serious accident.

“The scariest thing was if that boat had drifted into the docks where other boats were tied up, who knows what could have happened,” Duffey said.

The captain credited the Mount Washington’s crew for quickly responding to the situation. They tossed life rings out into the water as well as rescue lines for anyone who might have been thrown into the water. “We train a lot, and it paid off,” he said.

In addition, one of the boat’s crew members who is a trained EMT rushed onto the pier and provided first aid to one person who was injured by the fire. Ambulance crews arrived moments later.

According to Laconia police, a half dozen people were on the boat when the fire started. All were thrown into the water.

The Marine Patrol reported that "the injured passengers were transported to Lakes Region General Hospital for treatment. Two juveniles and a 36-year-old female were treated and released for minor cuts and bruises. A 67-year-old man, who was also a passenger, was treated and released with a broken rib and minor lacerations.

The Laconia Fire Department rescue boat used a special hook to get control of the boat so it would not drift into any other boats or buildings. Gilford Fire Department’s fire boat arrived and the two companies worked together to extinguish the fire, Beattie said.

The chief said the Formula boat was destroyed by the fire. Two other boats which were at the dock also received some damage as well as a sign. He estimated the total damage at $30,000.

Johnson declined to give any details about Saturday’s accident, saying another media outlet was paying him for his story. “I’m out of cash. I have no wallet. That’s all I’m going to tell you,” he said before hanging up.

But when interviewed last October about the theft and damage to the boat, Johnson said he had purchased the boat so his daughters could enjoy the lake.

The boat, Johnson said, made it possible to spend time with his daughters, away from electronics, away from their friends, and just enjoy Winnipesaukee.