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2 Taken To Hospital After 50 Ft. Vessel Goes Up In Flames

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4)- Fire officials are investigating after a man on board a boat was injured when the boat went up in flames early Saturday morning.

Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue said they responded at approximately 7:15 a.m. to a 50' vessel fire at 48 Isle Bahia Drive. The vessel was fully engulfed when fire officials arrived.

"There was an explosion." Witness Christina Lewis said. Thirty minutes later there was a second explosion ."

Lewis said those on the boat swam away from it.

"The people swam to the house that's right over there," she said. " The fire department came and helped them."

Firefighters pulled two people from the water.

Lewis said it was all a surprise.

"It's pretty scary to not know and to be sleeping and hear something blow up," she said.

One man, 67, was transported to Broward general with non-life threatening injuries.

Jorge Pino of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation said boater must be careful and take precautionary measures to avoid injury.

"We're going to stress no drinking and operating a vessel that is so critical," he said. "Unfortunately, every year we have individuals who lose their lives in the beginning of the summer because they don't heed our warning.

A cat was also rescued. A doctor at the Hollywood Animal Hospital said the cat transported to their hospital and is in is stable condition. But the cat was given oxygen and pain medication. The cat does not have first or second degree burns, and was released.

The boat is a total loss. There were four people on board the boat at the time of the fire. They were reportedly en route to the Keys.

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