Two Dead, One Seriously Injured In Port Arthur Boat Explosion

A tragedy in Port Arthur, TX today. It has been confirmed that two men have died and another one has been seriously injured after their work boat exploded early this morning.

The explosion occured shortly after 7 a.m. on the boat ramp along West Texas Highway 73, according to Port Arthur News. Early reports suggest that they explosion happened after the commercial vessel was refueld but still docked in Taylor's Bayou, according to Capt. Ryan Hall of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Two Dead, One Seriously Injured In Port Arthur, TX Boat Explosion

"We were actively working that scene for over an hour trying to get the people off that boat," said Port Arthur Interim Deputy Fire Chief Antonio Mitchell. "We have done CPR on two males and a third has compound fractures," Mitchell told 12News.

The Port Arthur Fire Department is heading up the investigation. The Port Arthur Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will all be assisting.

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The investigation is ongoing, but Interim Chief Mitchell believes that gas fumes were present in the air and were ignited, though the exact source of the ignition is unknown at this time. According to 12News.

"Basically gases were over, collected by an ignition source, and it went up and made the explosion," Mitchell said. "Possibly a leak or something caused the fumes to evacuate or leave it's container. A build [up] of the fumes, and the fumes actually ignited and came in contact with a competent ignition source"

Justice of the Peace Joseph L. Guillory has identified the deceased as a 45-year-old man from Abbeville, Lousiana, and a 41-year-old man from Houma, LA.