SEQUIM — Clallam County Fire District No. 3, the U.S. Coast Guard and Sequim police this morning were investigating a Tuesday boat explosion at John Wayne Marina that seriously injured one man, who was flown from Olympic Medical Center to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle overnight.
The man was identified to the Peninsula Daily News this morning as Keith Bryant, 78, who had been working on a propane tank on the cabin cruiser, a 38-foot boat named Escale.
Bryant reportedly suffered back and shrapnel injuries causing open wounds. He was reported in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.
No other injuries were reported, although the explosion “was powerful enough to damage boats up to 75 yards away,” said Patrick Young, fire district spokesman.
“A couple reported it from two slips down, and they were actually knocked to the ground in their boat during the explosion,” Young said.
They found Bryant “covered in debris and in the water.”
They pulled him from the water and onto the dock until emergency responders arrived, Young said.
The fire district responded to the 5:48 p.m. explosion at C Dock at the marina on Sequim Bay in east Sequim.
The Port of Port Angeles, Fire District 3 and the Coast Guard contained the waters around the area of the explosion to prevent fuels and oils from the boat from seeping into Sequim Bay.
The explosion, easily heard in Blyn and surrounding areas of Sequim Bay, is unusual for the serene boat marina, developed by the Port of Port Angeles about 25 years ago on property donated by the estate of the late actor John Wayne.
Sequim Bay was a popular getaway for Wayne and his yacht, and he purchased land around the water.
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Were you a witness? Please contact Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
