Dog dies and two people injured after boat explosion at marina

Two people have been hospitalised and a dog was killed after a gas explosion onboard a ‘pleasure boat’ in North Wales.

The explosion at Chirk Marina, in Wrexham, caused two boats to catch fire at around 6pm on Saturday, December 14, with fire rescue crews rushing to the scene.

Two people caught in the blaze managed to escape with minor injuries, and were transported to hospital by an ambulance.

The vessel then completely sank, killing a pet dog on board.

A 40ft traditional canal boat parked next to the first vessel then also caught alight, as firefighters fought to tackle the blaze.

The fire and rescue service managed to prevent the burning boats from colliding with others, and were able to bring it under control.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s Wrexham Greenwatch shared dramatic images of the incident on their social media.

In a post, they shared details of what had occured: ‘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.’

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