Family of six scrambles to find safety after boat bursts into flames, SC officials say

A family of six was on board a pontoon boat when it burst into flames on a South Carolina lake, an official said.

Officials responded to Lake Keowee at around 9:30 p.m. on July 11, Stephen Fastenau, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, told McClatchy News.

Six family members were on board at the time, he said.

Video shared on Facebook by Barry Walker shows the boat burning on the water.

“Taking a sunset ride when I saw this!” Walker wrote.

Walker did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

The people on board jumped from the boat, and passing boats helped pick them up, Fastenau said. No one was injured.

The Salem Fire Department extinguished the fire, he said.

The boat was later towed to a town landing.

Fastenau said he did not know what caused the fire, but it appeared to be accidental.

Lake Keowee is a reservoir in Seneca, about 140 miles northwest of Columbia.

This story was originally published July 14, 2023 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Family of six scrambles to find safety after boat bursts into flames, SC officials say."