Boater Identified in Weekend Boat Explosion

The investigation into what caused a boat to explode on Hartwell Lake over the Memorial Day weekend is continuing.

It happened Saturday at Harbor Light Marina, according to DNR Law Enforcement officer Craig Fulghum.

“Around 3p is when the initial 911 calls came in. It happened in and around the boat ramp near the restaurant at Harbor Light Marina. He (the boater) was coming around from the fuel dock and was trying to put his boat up (when the explosion happened). The boater suffered third-degree burns and was air lifted via helicopter to August Burn Center,” he said.

The boater is identified as 64-year old Anthony Wayne Edwards of Dallas, Georgia.  Edwards suffered burns to the upper part of his body.

Fulghum said DNR investigators now think some of the fuel may have gone down into a storage tank.

“There’s a possibility that fuel may have been put into the sewage line and there was some type of ignition that occurred. We’re not sure yet how that ignition started,” he explained.

No other persons were on board at the time of the explosion, and no word on Edward’s condition.