UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

A retrofitted, 80-ft by 16-ft, three level, houseboat was being used as a "party boat". The boat had just returned from a cruise and was docked at a marina. The weather that day was determined to be approximately 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Employee #1, a 19-year old crew member, had begun fueling the boat and then proceeded to take trash off the boat while the fuel was being pumped into one of the boat's three fuel tanks. The marina had a security camera pointed in the direction of the docked boat and the security camera captured most of the events leading up to the explosion. The video showed Employee #1 going down the spiral staircase at the stern of the boat, which was near the fuel fill ports. Seconds after Employee #1 reached the bottom of the steps, an explosion occurred and a fire erupted. The exact source of the ignition was not determined. The investigation did determine that the boat's AC unit, generator and bilge blowers were powered, leading up to and at the time of the explosion. While extinguishing the fire, the boat sank. Later when the boat was raised, Employee #1's body was found in the center of the engine compartment, lying over the boat's generator. Employee #1 sustained unspecified fractures and was killed.