Details of boater trapped as fire damages 36 boats on Lake Mead

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The sparkling blue waters of Lake Mead reflect yellow at the Las Vegas Marina because of warning tape surrounding charred boat docks and absorbent booms encompassing potentially hazardous materials.

Bretaishe Stewart and her family witnessed the birth of this scene. They were forced to do so.
The Henderson local captured video of the flames, which the National Park Service (NPS) said were first reported around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Stewart said she became alert after several sounds of gunshots coming from a few docks.

“We hear what sounds like fireworks now, you know? Just like multiple pops,” Stewart said at a Henderson community park Monday morning, detailing the sudden explosion of sounds after two self-contained sounds. “We just see black smoke everywhere. From our terrace, we are literally there.

Via his livestream on Facebook, we see the emergency teams fighting the fire remotely. She said she and her brother, her husband, were unable to move their boat because of the fire's proximity to the marina access point. She adds that their car was also surrounded due to the location of emergency vehicles.

“We couldn't get out, so we had to stay on the boat. I spent the night,” Stewart said. “It’s just chaotic.”

Then came hours of described back and forth, she said. The NPS said the fire lasted about three hours.

“It was getting controlled, but then it exploded again,” Stewart said. “As (firefighters) started trying to fight the fire, he jumped on a jet ski, then on the jet ski, maybe the fuel from the jet ski or something, it just exploded and started to catch other things on fire.”

On Monday, charred wreckage floated past the scene, indicating that boats, once parked at designated locations, are now submerged. 8 News Now saw several boats with their noses pointed directly up.

The NPS reported no deaths and two people were sent to the hospital with minor injuries. Boating Lake Mead reported Monday that 36 boats were damaged, including 11 completely destroyed, along two docks, with “an undetermined amount of damage.” 15 boats were initially listed as destroyed.

Those like Stewart are grateful to escape unscathed, but now must deal with the trauma and ask themselves, “How did this happen?” The NPS is still investigating and has not yet announced whether it suspects arson.

“In an instant, everything changed,” Stewart said.

Boat owners at this marina are required to have insurance, according to the Boating Lake Mead website. Owners of affected boats are invited to initiate a complaints procedure there.