Boat rescue: 'Fire was encompassing the whole stern of the vessel,' Martin deputy says
MARTIN COUNTY — Inches away from flames charring through a boat, sheriff's marine deputies searched for a way to reach a man trapped inside before it burned and sunk.
A part of the boat exploded Sunday while it was anchored at Manatee Pocket.
The heat was so scalding that part of the canopy over the sheriff's marine unit responding to the fire melted as deputies rushed to help the man escape his boat.
Deputies Buddy Sprott and Daniel Hill responded to the fire Sunday evening.
"We got there. The fire was encompassing the whole stern (rear) of the vessel," Sprott said Monday afternoon. "We approached. We talked to a bystander who said the male was still on the vessel."
Sprott and Hill said they soon saw a man through the porthole, stuck inside the boat.
The man, later identified as Steven Paul Bohn, 57, was living on the boat, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
Sprott broke the glass and said Bohn called for help.
"The only thing he was able to communicate was 'I need help,' " Sprott said.
The deputies noticed the area around the bow hatch was not ablaze.
They hopped on the boat as the fire crawled through it and attempted several times to open the bow hatch.
But it wouldn't budge.
On their final try, they flinged it open and looked for Bohn.
Sprott saw Bohn's hands and lifted the man up from the interior of the boat as its tower burned and careened into the water.
"The only thing going through my head at that point is 'we need to get this guy out'," Hill said. "It's pretty obvious if we don't pull him out, there's only one way that ends."
Seconds count for the first responders and they had scarce time to save Bohn's life.
"The biggest thing is — I know time is not on our side at that point — so we're trying to just get this guy out as fast as we possibly can," Sprott said.
Sprott estimated it took about 10 minutes to save Bohn, but it "felt like an eternity."
Both deputies said they had no idea the top of the boat fell to the water until they watched videos from witnesses afterwards.
No other people were on the boat or injured, according to the Sheriff's Office. Bohn was unconscious and transported to Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital. He was still in the hospital Tuesday. A condition was not available.
The boat burned and sunk.
The cause of the boat fire is under investigation. Sprott said usually, fires spark on boats because of issues with a propane or fuel tank.
Mauricio La Plante is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm focusing on Martin County. Follow him on Twitter @mslaplantenews or email him at Mauricio.LaPlante@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Deputies rescue man from Martin County boat fire
