Man severely burned when flames destroy boat on trailer

POCATELLO — A man suffered severe burns when a boat on a trailer erupted in flames at a convenience store here on Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters at the scene of the 2:15 p.m. incident were not sure if the man would survive his injuries.

They said that if he does survive it will be because of his quick-thinking friend pulling him out of the burning boat just after it had been fueled at the Phillips 66 convenience store at Pocatello Creek and Bench roads.

Firefighters said that after pulling the victim out of the boat, the man then drove his pickup truck with burning boat in tow onto Bench Road. If he had not done that the fire could have easily spread to the convenience store’s gas pumps, possibly causing an explosion.

Police said they believe both men are from Pocatello but their names have not yet been released.

Police temporarily closed off Pocatello Creek and Bench roads in the area of the fire and closed off access to Interstate 15 from Pocatello Creek Road.

As of 3:30 p.m. Saturday only the portion of Bench Road where the boat was located remained closed to traffic.

Police and fire officials are investigating the fire and are not yet commenting on how it occurred. All that’s known is that it started after the boat had been fueled and the victim was actually on the boat as it sat on the trailer at one of the convenience store’s gas pumps.

The victim was transported via Fire Department ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center and firefighters said he might be airlifted to a hospital in Salt Lake City for treatment of his severe burns.

The boat was gutted by the fire, but the pickup towing it seemed to suffer only minor damage.

This article was originally published in the Idaho State Journal. It is used here with permission.