HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — 25-year-old Chasity Thompson from Lakeland, Tennessee is recovering at home after a weekend boating trip on the Tennessee River turned into a tragedy when an explosion and fire consumed a boat.
“They said 36 to 40% of my body was covered in multiple second-degree burns and a few first burns,” Thompson said.
Thompson said she does not know what caused the explosion or fire. All passengers were able to get off the boat before it was completely consumed by fire, but the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency reports there were seven people burned.
“I’m really not sure like what caused it or anything because when it went off, we didn’t see any flames,” she said. “It was just a plume of smoke, and then it caught flames later.”
Thompson was treated and released at the hospital in Savannah.
Joe Tribur, a first responder from Hardin County, Tennessee, captured a video of a pleasure boat engulfed in flames on the Tennessee River at Savannah.
“Sitting outside on the yard, heard a backfire,” Tribur said. “Something sounded off, heard some excitement, noise. Ran over to the edge of the grass, looked down, could tell there was flames had come up from the boat.”
Tribur also lives by the Tennessee River and said there were several people on the boat while it was being launched, including children and adults.
Tribur said he was glad parents acted quickly and did not panic.
“The parents had gotten them out, took care of them first, but they all handled themselves very well,” Tribur said. “They got on the short and then everybody started trying to figure out who got hurt, who got burned.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is investigating the incident to determine what caused the explosion and fire.
The owners of the boat did not want to be interviewed or comment on the incident.