A MAN and his four-year-old daughter were lucky to escape injury after a ski boat caught fire on the Murray River at Moama on Thursday, February 18.
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The fibreglass boat went up in flames next to the boat ramp at Winbi Caravan Park about 4.30pm.
Moama Fire + Rescue deputy captain Gavin Milgate said the driver was lucky to get away uninjured.
"The driver said he smelt fumes under the engine cover and managed to get the boat tied up on the bank before the boat went up," he said.
"The boat is completely destroyed but thankfully the driver managed to get away in time."
Six firefighters from Moama RFS, five from Moama Fire + Rescue and five from Deniliquin Hazardous Material attended the blaze which took about 90 minutes to fully extinguish.
NSW RFS Mid-Murray operations manager Gerard James said the man, who was a friend of the boat owner, had suffered slight burns to his arms but refused any medical help.
‘‘He was on holidays from Melbourne and was just about to put his four-year-old daughter in the boat, so they’re very lucky,’’ he said.
‘‘The boat had just been filled with fuel so there was still fumes and starting it created an electrical current which is quite a common occurrence in older style boats.
‘‘It took a long time to put out the fire as we had to let the vessel cool down until the fuel had burnt down rather than having it escape to the waterway.
‘‘There were other vessels tied up about 30m away but thankfully they weren't at risk as the boat had been tied up to the bank, stopping it from drifting way.’’
Mr James reminded boat owners to maintain their vessels and be careful when refuelling them.
‘‘Fuel vapours sink to the bottom so let it air out for a while so they evaporate before starting the boat up,’’ he said.
A few hours later, Echuca CFA was called to a small fire in a boat in Echuca.
Captain Rob Amos said two tankers were called to Sutton St about 9.45pm.
"Something inside the boat, like a rag, was on fire," he said.
"It wasn't big and a neighbour had put it out with a garden hose by the time we got there. There was no real damage.
"However, it is suspicious so we referred it to Victoria Police."
Anyone with information about the fire can contact Echuca police on 5483 1500 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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