The incident turned tragic Monday when authorities announced that a woman had died.
The Coast Guard was sifting through the charred remains of a casino shuttle boat Monday to determine the cause of a spectacular fire that forced dozens of passengers to leap for their lives into the chilly waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast.
All that remained from Sunday’s inferno was the burned-out hull, an American flag flying from the bow.
Authorities in Port Richey, about 40 miles north of St. Petersburg, said immediately after the fire that more than a dozen people suffered non-life threatening injuries. The incident turned tragic Monday when authorities announced that a woman had died.
“We are deeply saddened for the loss of our passenger, the 14 injured and anyone else who was affected by this tragedy,” said Beth Fifer, assistant chief executive for Tropical Breeze Casinos.
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point said in a statement that the 42-year-old victim went to the hospital several hours after the blaze and died soon after. The cause of death had not been determined, and authorities declined to release her name.
The Coast Guard said it would review the boat’s maintenance history. Fifer said the boat had no known issues before the fire.
“It would’ve never left the dock if we knew something was wrong with it,” Fifer said.
More: One dead, 50 rescued from Gulf Coast casino boat fire
More: Mourners gather to remember mudslide victims
The boat was shuttling its passengers to the Tropical Breeze Casino ship at about 4 p.m. when the fire broke out, and the captain returned to shallow waters, grounding the shuttle boat near the shore.
Video, photos and witness accounts from the scene describe a horrifying several minutes as passengers jumped about 10 feet into water about waist high, then scrambled to shore.
Bakr Jandali, 19, lives nearby and heard the shouting, then saw the smoke. He told The Tampa Bay Times he and other neighbors ran to the scene and saw the flames slowly engulf the boat. Passengers huddled at the rail, weighing their options.
“They didn’t have much time to decide whether or not to jump,” Jandali said. “The fire was moving fast. It was a hard jump.”
Some passengers waded to shore, where Jandali and other neighbors quickly provided aid. Pasco County Deputy Fire Chief Andrew Fossa said Jandali and the other residents were “phenomenal.”
“They were bringing blankets and sheets and jackets to get those people warm,” Fossa said. “These people had been totally submerged in the water.”
Police, fire officials and officers from Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission responded to the scene; some first-responders crashed into the water to help get some people to shore.
Local resident Larry Santangelo, 57, was driving into town and thought his home might be on fire. As he got closer, he saw people confused and shaking. He told the Times he invited about 30 passengers into his garage.
“It was so windy and they were soaking wet,” he said. “I just started putting them anywhere I could fit them — my garage, my fishing room. I brought them socks and more towels.”
The shuttle boat was taking people about a ship about a mile offshore, Fossa said. The shuttle hadn’t gone far, and the boat got close enough to the shore to make escape manageable, he said.
“I have to praise the boat captain,” Fossa said.
Contributing: WTSP-TV (Tampa Bay); Associated Press
