A boat explosion scorched a total of eight watercraft in Dana Point Harbor Thursday.
A man who was hired to do maintenance on a boat in the harbor — and stayed aboard overnight — jumped off just as the explosion occurred about 9:35 a.m., Orange County sheriff’s Sgt. Dennis Breckner said.
The maintenance worker woke up about 8:30 a.m. to the smell of fuel and “a short time later, boom, the boat explodes, he jumps off and eight boats are damaged,” Breckner said.
The fire destroyed three of the boats, and the boat where the blaze originated sank, Breckner said.
The fire’s cause appears to be accidental, he said, adding the blaze was knocked down at 10:10 a.m.
The man who jumped off the boat was slightly injured but refused medical treatment, the sergeant said.
]A damage estimate was not immediately released.