Two people swam to shore on their own and were taken to nearby hospitals by air ambulance in serious condition.
ORANGE, Texas — Two people were seriously injured after a fuel transfer operation on the Sabine River near Shell Island ended in an explosion Saturday morning that destroyed a flat deck boat.
The incident happened near Shell Island between the Sabine River’s Intracoastal Waterway and the Black Bayou Cut, according to Lt. Quirino of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard received a report around 7:15 a.m. that a vessel carrying two 250-gallon totes of gasoline from Troy Construction shipyard in Orange had exploded.
Emergency responders requested at least two medical helicopters to the scene following the explosion. According to Lt. Quirino, two people swam to shore on their own. Our 12News media partner then witnessed the two people being loaded onto the medical helicopters. They were flown to nearby hospitals.
The boat was “mostly blown apart into debris,” Lt. Quirino said, though the debris is not currently impeding channel traffic.
The fuel totes were reported floating in the waterway, and contractors have been hired to retrieve them.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation and it is unknown what was receiving the fuel.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.