A captain and his dog were rescued by onlookers after his lobster boat exploded and caught fire in Harpswell waters south of Upper Flag Island on Saturday.
According to Harpswell Harbormaster Paul Plummer, first responders were dispatched at 2:20 p.m. after receiving a report about a boat explosion that forced the vessel’s sole occupant and his dog into the water.
“Nearby boaters were able to rescue the boat captain and his dog and bring him to shore,” Plummer said in an email. “The captain refused medical treatment, according to the good Samaritans, however they brought him to shore quickly so that he could get his dog to a veterinarian to be checked out.”
Both Maine Marine Patrol and Harpswell emergency responders arrived at the scene of the explosion and kept other boats a safe distance away, he said. Shortly thereafter, the South Portland Fire Department’s Marine 8 vessel arrived with a water pump to extinguish the remaining fire.
“Unfortunately, the vessel ultimately ended up sinking,” Plummer said.
Boater Ray Hale told Portland news station WMTW-TV that he and his family heard a loud noise like a cannon being fired, approached the area and found the lobster boat on fire, with its former occupants in the water.
Hale and his family reportedly managed to get the man safely aboard their boat while another boater jumped in the water to help rescue the dog. WMTW reported that the U.S. Coast Guard also responded to the explosion and was still investigating the cause.
Plummer described the ill-fated boat as a 32-foot Novi craft built in 1971. A photo of the flaming craft taken by onlooker Barb Crommett revealed the fishing vessel’s name to be the Juggerknot.
Facebook user Jon Nadeau identified himself as the boat’s captain in an online post, saying he was doing OK, with a “few bruises on my legs from getting slammed into the rail from the explosion.”
Nadeau said his dog, Red, had some internal bleeding but was recovering and doing well. “Thank you to anyone who has helped me out or had me and Red on their mind,” he wrote.
A GoFundMe page has been created with the goal of raising $12,000 to help Nadeau and Red. It had already reached 85% of that goal as of 3 p.m. Monday.
