The boat explosion was reported at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning along west Texas Highway 73.
PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Two Louisiana men have been killed and one seriously injured in a work boat explosion at a boat ramp at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area on the west side of Port Arthur.
The vessel was working on a levee project at the WMA through a partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Ducks Unlimited, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“We were actively working that scene for over an hour trying to get the people off that boat,” said Port Arthur Interim Deputy Fire Chief Antonio Mitchell.
All three men were taken to a Southeast Texas hospital by ambulance, where two were pronounced dead, according to according to Mitchell.
“We have done CPR on two males and a third has compound fractures,” Mitchell told 12News shortly after the explosion.
Both of the men who died were from Louisiana: a 45-year-old from Abbeville, who was the captain, and a 41-year-old from Houma, according to Jefferson County Precinct Two Justice of the Peace Joseph L. Guillory.
“A four man crew supposed to be going out and working on different things in the levee and doing some work out on the water ways,” Mitchell said.
Interim Chief Mitchell says the fourth man had gone to his truck to retrieve something when the boat exploded, saving him from being in harm’s way.
Preliminary reports show the explosion happened a little after 7:00 a.m. aboard the commercial work boat, shortly after it was refueled while docked along Taylor’s Bayou at the J.D. Murphree boat ramp, according to Capt. Ryan Hall of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The explosion aboard the boat was caused by a “fuel-air gas ignition”, according to the Port Arthur Fire Department.
Interim Chief Mitchell says gas fumes were present in the air and were ignited, though the exact source of the ignition remains unknown and is part of an ongoing investigation.
“Basically gases were over, collected by an ignition source, and it went up and made the explosion,” Mitchell said. “Possibly a leak or something caused the fumes to evacuate or leave it’s container. A build [up] of the fumes, and the fumes actually ignited and came in contact with a competent ignition source.
The explosion is being investigated by the OSHA, Texas Game Wardens, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the ATF. The Port Arthur Fire Department has completed its part in the investigation.
A large piece of the decking could be seen peeled back on the boat which was docked next to a pair of large portable fuel tanks on the shore.
The vessel is owned by TDW Rentals, LLC, a subsidiary of DEAN Equipment, based in Harvey, Louisiana. The company has two Texas offices, in Houston and Midland. DEAN representatives tell 12News that the vessel is a crew boat, used to take workers from the shore to larger equipment in the water.
DEAN representatives tell 12News they had more workers on site at the time of the blast, but were still working to learn more when contacted.
The blast was felt nearly a mile and a half away at the Port Arthur fire station in Port Acres, according to Port Arthur firefighters.
“We had a couple crewmembers working doing their tasks in the morning and they heard that boom and they got up and started paying attention to what was going on and then dispatch dispatched them out,” Mitchell said.
It was also felt at a nearby gas station.
“[It] kinda felt like a earthquake. The first thing I thought it was were the refineries. It made me think something happened over there,” a gas station attendant said.
Texas Parks and Wildlife reported in a news release at 8:51 a.m., that the two men had died, but 30 minutes later told the media it was unclear if they had died. The Port Arthur Fire Department confirmed the fatalities within the hour.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.