yobub
Well-Known Member
Not my home port but grew up around there and have friends in that harbor. Very sad to see anyone lose their life, especially if they just wanted to go fishing. Be safe!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...ette-boat-accident-harbor-20180811-story.html
A 67-year-old man was killed and another man was hurt when a boat exploded Saturday morning inside Wilmette Harbor, according to authorities and a witness.
Mitchell Z. Sroka, of the 700 block of South Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights, was dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Around 8 a.m., the roughly 32-foot boat burst into flames with Sroka on board and another man on the deck, according to Wilmette Fire Chief Ben Wozney, witness accounts and the medical examiner’s office. Sroka’s body was removed from inside the boat’s cabin, and the surviving man on the boat’s deck was taken to NorthShore Evanston Hospital.
“We’ve had fires in the harbor in the past, but no explosions of this magnitude,” Wozney said.
Earlier, officials said Sroka was 60. His death was ruled an accident caused by multiple blunt force injuries from the boat explosion and drowning, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Vytas Kasniunas, who lives nearby, said he was getting ready to walk his dog when he heard the blast, which was so powerful it caused pictures on the wall of his house to shake. He walked over, and saw tools and pieces from a cooler scattered across the Sheridan Road Bridge overlooking the harbor. As he peered down, he could see the flaming remnants of the boat’s hull next to a charred fuel pump.
“Then (I was) just watching everything burn and sink. At the time, I didn’t know anyone was on board,” he said.
Andy Mikos said he’s been friends with the boat’s owner for about 20 years. The man was an avid salmon fisherman who enjoyed talking with people on the lake, Mikos said. A couple of years ago, Mikos’ boat broke down and the man took him out on the water aboard his twin-engine boat, named Scorpion.
“When you fish on the lake, there are guys who don't like to talk and don't want to give any information,” Mikos said. “He wasn't one of those guys. He was a guy who always shared his information. … He was always willing to take someone out.
“He's one of the best guys out there,” Mikos continued.
Saturday morning, Mikos could see the flames from the water, but said he initially thought it was a house fire. It wasn’t until he reached the harbor that he learned his friend’s boat had exploded while he was on board.
“I always launch early and go out and find fish, and he always calls me and says, ‘Where ya fishing?’ And he was going out today,” Mikos said with tears in his eyes and his voice trailing off. “We just wanted to come by and make sure they covered him.”
Mikos said the boat owner has two adult children. The man lived with his wife, who had been seriously ill, and he hadn’t been on his boat for several weeks, Mikos said.
The Fire Department said it planned to contact a salvage company to remove the debris from the harbor and the state fire marshal would investigate the cause of the explosion. Preliminary findings suggest the explosion was caused from the boat, not the fueling station, Wozney said.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...ette-boat-accident-harbor-20180811-story.html
A 67-year-old man was killed and another man was hurt when a boat exploded Saturday morning inside Wilmette Harbor, according to authorities and a witness.
Mitchell Z. Sroka, of the 700 block of South Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights, was dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Around 8 a.m., the roughly 32-foot boat burst into flames with Sroka on board and another man on the deck, according to Wilmette Fire Chief Ben Wozney, witness accounts and the medical examiner’s office. Sroka’s body was removed from inside the boat’s cabin, and the surviving man on the boat’s deck was taken to NorthShore Evanston Hospital.
“We’ve had fires in the harbor in the past, but no explosions of this magnitude,” Wozney said.
Earlier, officials said Sroka was 60. His death was ruled an accident caused by multiple blunt force injuries from the boat explosion and drowning, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Vytas Kasniunas, who lives nearby, said he was getting ready to walk his dog when he heard the blast, which was so powerful it caused pictures on the wall of his house to shake. He walked over, and saw tools and pieces from a cooler scattered across the Sheridan Road Bridge overlooking the harbor. As he peered down, he could see the flaming remnants of the boat’s hull next to a charred fuel pump.
“Then (I was) just watching everything burn and sink. At the time, I didn’t know anyone was on board,” he said.
Andy Mikos said he’s been friends with the boat’s owner for about 20 years. The man was an avid salmon fisherman who enjoyed talking with people on the lake, Mikos said. A couple of years ago, Mikos’ boat broke down and the man took him out on the water aboard his twin-engine boat, named Scorpion.
“When you fish on the lake, there are guys who don't like to talk and don't want to give any information,” Mikos said. “He wasn't one of those guys. He was a guy who always shared his information. … He was always willing to take someone out.
“He's one of the best guys out there,” Mikos continued.
Saturday morning, Mikos could see the flames from the water, but said he initially thought it was a house fire. It wasn’t until he reached the harbor that he learned his friend’s boat had exploded while he was on board.
“I always launch early and go out and find fish, and he always calls me and says, ‘Where ya fishing?’ And he was going out today,” Mikos said with tears in his eyes and his voice trailing off. “We just wanted to come by and make sure they covered him.”
Mikos said the boat owner has two adult children. The man lived with his wife, who had been seriously ill, and he hadn’t been on his boat for several weeks, Mikos said.
The Fire Department said it planned to contact a salvage company to remove the debris from the harbor and the state fire marshal would investigate the cause of the explosion. Preliminary findings suggest the explosion was caused from the boat, not the fueling station, Wozney said.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com
