
A boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, left close to a dozen people injured on Memorial Day evening.
According to reports, the incident occurred around 5:45 p.m. near the New River Triangle and the Lauderdale Yacht Club on Southeast 12th Court.
Officials revealed there were 13 people on board, 11 of whom were injured after the vessel exploded and threw them into the water. Two of them were children.
Nearly a dozen people, including two children, were hospitalized after a boat explosion and fire in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Memorial Day evening, officials say. https://t.co/C4sN40xaYO
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 27, 2025
“For reasons that we don’t know yet, a boat exploded, it tossed people into the water, good Samaritans came over right away and started rescuing them,” Frank Guzman, a spokesperson for Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, said, per NBC.
The fire officers haven’t determined the cause of the incident.
“It’s too soon to know how this happened,” Guzman added. “We have a fire investigator on scene, as well.”
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10 Victims From Memorial Day Boat Explosion Transferred To Burn Unit

Guzman also confirmed that 11 people, including two children, were initially taken to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment. Some of the victims suffered “significant burns,” which required them to be moved to Jackson Memorial Hospital, as they have a burn unit.
“A lot of them had burns to much of their body,” he said.
Officials from Jackson Memorial confirmed having received 10 patients, including two adults who were in good condition and two children who were in “fair” condition. One of the patients had to be intubated.
A 32-year-old man named Antonio Rivero, the father of the two children, suffered burns to his arm in the boat explosion. His wife, Cassandra, was also injured in the blast.
“Tried to fuel up the boat, and must have been a gas leak and, you know, spark went off and explosion,” he said. “One of the guys’ pants were blown off, so it was bad.”
Rivero added that his family was on “a lot of meds,” but they were “fine” otherwise.