2 Airlifted After Boat Explodes At Greenport Marina

GREENPORT, NY — A man and woman were airlifted after a boat exploded in a Greenport marina Tuesday afternoon, police said.

According to Southold Town Police Detective Ken Richert, the boat exploded at a marina on Manhasset Ave. The man and woman were refueling their boat and it's believed there were gas fumes in the bilge, which are highly explosive, without a blower, he said.

The two were thrown from the boat and found in the water, Richert said.

A fire official at the scene told Patch that the Greenport Fire Department was dispatched at 3:53 p.m. to the scene of the explosion, which "was felt as far away as East Marion."

When he arrived, the official said he saw two people being treated by Stony Brook paramedics, who had asked for help from Suffolk County aviation to pull the two out of the water.

Under guidance from Greenport Fire Chief Wade Manwaring and both assistant chiefs, mutual aid was called and responded. East Marion and Southold Fire Department rescue were called to assist the Greenport Fire Department; the scene was mitigated, the fire official said.

Both the man and woman were airlifted by Suffolk County aviation to Stony Brook University Hospital as a precautionary measure to ensure there were no internal injuries, but it's believed they were not seriously hurt, Richert said.