Two Injured in Sailboat Explosion
Two people were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center following a sailboat explosion and fire in Port Townsend. The incident highlights the region’s maritime emergency response capabilities and reliance on specialized burn care centers.
- The incident occurred in Glen Cove, south of the Port Townsend Paper Mill, aboard a 50-foot sailboat. - Both victims, two men, sustained burns to over 20% of their bodies but the injuries are considered non-life-threatening. - The occupants and their dog escaped the burning vessel on a dinghy and were picked up by a commercial Vessel Assist boat, which transported them to paramedics at the Boat Haven fuel dock. - East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) resources were stretched so thin during the response that the agency declared "status-zero," meaning all on-duty units were committed to emergencies. - The U.S. Navy's Engine 91 from Naval Magazine Indian Island handled a separate 911 call in Port Townsend while EJFR was managing the boat fire. - Multiple agencies were involved in the response, including JeffCom dispatchers, and mutual aid partners from Quilcene, Kitsap, and Clallam counties were put on alert. - The U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Ecology were also notified about the incident. - Harborview Medical Center, where the patients were taken, is the only Level I adult and pediatric trauma and verified burn center in Washington state, serving a four-state region that also includes Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
