In what’s normally a quiet marina, Annie’s Bait and Tackle shop owner Bruce Shearer saw a bit of commotion Monday afternoon after a small boat exploded while fueling.
Around 3 p.m., a small boat was getting fuel outside the bait and tackle shop near the Cortez Bridge.
Fumes from the fuel caused an explosion, injuring the one person on board and damaging the boat, according to Tom Sousa, chief of West Manatee Fire District.
When firefighters arrived, there were no flames; the fumes quickly burned off in the explosion, Sousa said. The Coast Guard was called to investigate the incident.

One man was burned after a fire broke out Monday afternoon aboard a sport fishing boat at the Bahia Mar marina in Fort Lauderdale, authorities said.
Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan, a spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, said the fire started around 4:30 p.m. at the marina in the 800 block of Seabreeze Boulevard. Firefighters arrived on the scene in about 4 minutes, pulling a 300-foot fire hose down the dock to prevent the fire from spreading to other vessels.
Paramedics transported the 67-year-old victim to Broward Health Medical Center. Officials said he suffered first-degree burns. Gollan said the man was working on the 2007 48-foot Viking yacht when  two explosions occurred on board.
The man's dog was also aboard the boat, but escaped unharmed, Gollan said.
Cellphone video shows the man jumping from the sport fishing boat onto the dock as the fire rages on the boat.
Sky 10 was above the scene as firefighters used foam and water to contain the blaze. The sport fishing boat sank into the water as heavy smoke and flames poured out of the boat.
By 5:30 p.m., firefighters had the fire under control. Firefighters erected a barrier in the water to contain fuel leaking from the boat, which was carrying about 1,000 gallons.
Investigators are still determining what caused the explosions. Crews plan to pull the wreckage of the boat from the water on Tuesday.

Two liveaboard boats at Tavernier’s Mangrove Marina burned to the waterline Friday night, forcing three people to leap overboard to escape wind-whipped flames.
One man suffered serious burns and was flown by Trauma Star air ambulance for treatment at Ryder Trauma Center in Miami. His condition was not believed to be life-threatening and his identity was not available before press time.
Nearby marina residents reported hearing explosions in the cabin of a 44-foot catamaran tied up at the north end of the dock. Most suspect some type of propane accident triggered the 8:30 p.m. inferno.
“The cabin was engulfed in flames within seconds,” said John Hull, who lives aboard the 41-foot Ocean Cruiser “Vidurria,” berth about six feet away from the two boats that were devastated.
“We had a little party going on with four or five people. Then, boom!” Hull said. “Flames were coming out of that boat everywhere.”
Hull and a companion tried to enter the catamaran’s cabin to check on the occupant but were forced back by the intense fire.
“Everything in the cabin was aflame,” said Hull, who was burned on his arm and leg during the attempt.
The catamaran owner, while injured, escaped out a forward hatch.
Pam Owsinek, who lives on the “Vidurria,” said she heard three separate explosions. She believes they came from propane tanks used for cooking aboard the catamaran sailboat.
Strong winds from the west carried the fire to an adjacent Hatteras yacht, which caught fire. Its two liveaboards jumped into the marina waters and swam to a dock ladder.
Hull tried to douse the flames with a garden hose “but it didn’t do much.” With the nearby boats lost, he used the hose to wet down his liveaboard home, likely saving it.
“It was extremely hot,” Oswinek said, who escaped from the “Vidurria” rear deck when a neighbor cut open a fabric enclosure at the stern. In the crowded confusion on the dock, Oswinek was knocked into the water.
“It was pretty harrowing,” Hull said. “If the wind had been coming out of the north, there would have been nothing to stop” the fire from spreading to other vessels.
“All these boats are loaded with plenty of fuel, hundreds of gallons. It would have really got going,” he said. “The fire department did a really nice job and got it knocked down quick.”
Monroe County Fire Rescue’s Tavernier Station 22 was the first to respond to the Mangrove Marina blaze, soon joined by other departments.
Monroe County fire marshals are investigating the fire.
“It was pretty wicked there for a while,” marina resident Tim Jones said. “Thirty seconds and [the two boats] were gone. There’s nothing left.”

A boat caught fire on the Caloosahatchee near the Wilson Pritchett Bridge.
There was more than one person on board but an exact number of people is unknown.
A rescue boat and helicopter came to the scene.
FWC officers said the fire started in the engine room on the starboard side. They said the cause is unknown and that it caused $2,000 of damage.

A man suffered serious burns after an event involving two boats catching on fire at a marina down in the Florida keys.
A crazy scene caught on camera down in the Florida keys - two boats went up in flames at a marina. 
Witnesses could be heard urging people to jump into the water and swim to safety. 
A total of five people ended up making the plunge. 
"This boat exploded. It went up in flames right away. Within 30 seconds, it was totally engulfed in flames. And I had no idea when the Fire Department was going to get here, so I just got a host out," says John Hull. 
One person did suffer burns on their arms and legs. 
It took firefighters close to an hour to completely extinguish the blaze. No word yet on what caused the explosion. 

Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue responded to a boat fire on the Siuslaw River at milepost 9 on Highway 126 yesterday afternoon.  The catamaran was engulfed in flames and several witnesses reported hearing explosions according to an online post by the Siuslaw News.  One occupant of the boat reportedly jumped into the water and was rescued.  He was taken to Peace Harbor Hospital by Western Lane Ambulance.  His condition is not known at this time.  Siuslaw Valley Fire crews allowed the boat to burn and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard about possible contamination and toxins that may have spread on the river.  The Fire began at about 3 pm on Sunday.

A faulty power inverter is believed to be responsible for catching a boat on fire in Citrus County Saturday night.
The local union, Citrus County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 4562, posted photos of the smoke and flames on the MacRae's side of the river in Homosassa.
Two engines responded to the boat fire.
The labor union says the faulty inverter was being used to power Christmas lights on the vessel.
Nobody was hurt, and emergency crews were able to put out the fire.

Coast Guard crews rescued four people from a life raft after their commercial fishing boat caught fire off Cape May on Saturday morning.
An electrical fire broke out on the 75-foot Ocean Pearl around 10:30 a.m. as the vessel was about 16 miles off the coast, according to details issued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The crew activated emergency beacons and abandoned ship. They radioed for help from the life raft and two Coast Guard boats responded.
The rescuers found the four men dressed in survival suits and took them aboard one of the Coast Guard boats for the return to shore.
No injuries were reported.
The Ocean Pearl remains adrift near the mouth of the Delaware Bay and its owner is arranging a salvage operation, officials said. One of the Coast Guard vessels is remaining on the scene to monitor the salvage.

A U.S. Coast Guard crew came to the rescue of three people after their vessel burst into flames off the coast of Miami Beach.
According to officials, the victims ran into trouble after a fire sparked in the engine room of Family Time, their 60-foot vessel, about 30 miles east of Miami Beach, Friday afternoon.
The flames and heavy smoke forced the trio to jump overboard, but before doing so, they managed to call for help using the boat’s radio.
At around 3:25 p.m., the crew from the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered arrived at the scene, pulled the victims out of the water and brought them back to shore safely.
Family Time’s owner plans to return to recover the badly damaged boat.

Grasonville Volunteer Fire Department responded to a boat fire in front of Annie’s Paramount Steak and Seafood House in the Kent Narrows at 5:41 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4.
Fire Chief Jason Anthony and crew arrived at 500 Kent Narrows Way North to find fire showing from a boat on a boat lift and discovered it was Grasonville VFD’s Fire Boat 2.
“The crew of Engine 25 quickly deployed two hand lines to get a knock on the fire,” the fire department posted on its Facebook page. Despite the quick response, the 32-foot Haddaway fire/rescue boat suffered severe damage.
It took 23 firefighters 30 minutes to control the blaze, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Damages are estimated at $215,000 to the boat and $40,000 to the contents.
The fire started on the starboard side, rear deck of the vessel, the fire marshal’s office said. It was discovered by a passerby.
Investigators have ruled the fire accidental, caused by a malfunction of the 30-amp power inlet on board the boat. GVFD described it as the shoreline plug.
The priority now is to restore this valuable piece of equipment to our community, GVFD said.