Dog dies and two taken to hospital after gas explosion on boat in marina

Two people have been rushed to hospital and a dog has died following a gas explosion on a ‘pleasure boat’ at a marina in North Wales. The blast, which occurred at around 6pm on Saturday at Chirk Marina in Wrexham, caused two boats to catch fire.

Two individuals managed to escape with minor injuries and were taken to hospital by ambulance, but sadly, a pet dog perished as the vessel sank. Firefighters from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service responded to the incident, tackling the blaze and preventing it from spreading to other boats.

The fire did, however, spread to a second vessel, a 40ft traditional canal boat, but crews were able to bring it under control. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s Wrexham Greenwatch shared details of the incident on social media, stating: “Green Watch had a challenging night, starting with a marine incident involving a gas explosion aboard a pleasure craft.

“Two rescue pumps from Wrexham attended the scene, supported by Deeside’s water rescue unit. Crews established multiple safe systems of work to ensure crew safety while operating in the dark near the water’s edge.”

“The water rescue team deployed their sled to secure a drifting boat that had burned through its mooring ropes, preventing it from colliding with other vessels.Thanks to the assistance of marine staff, no pollutants or fire debris entered the main canal, and the incident was fully contained.

“Unfortunately, one boat was completely destroyed and sank, sadly a dog that was on board at the time of the explosion couldn’t be saved and sadly passed away on the boat. The second vessel sustained severe fire damage, but crews limited the fire spread.”