St. Johns County Fire Rescue (SJCFR) has reported that two people were injured Monday, June 4 when the engine of a small boat caught fire near the Palm Valley Bridge.
“North Battalion units from Palm Valley, Ponte Vedra Beach and Nocatee extinguished a fully-involved boat fire in a narrow canal near the Palm Valley Bridge this afternoon,” SJCFR reported on its Facebook page Monday night. “Witnesses say the inboard gasoline engine burst into flames when the operators tried to start it.”
The injured passengers were treated at the scene for first-degree burns and then released, SJCFR added, but the fire destroyed the boat and charred several pilings on a nearby bulkhead.
SJCFR and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating the cause of the incident.