Boat explodes, two rescued on Lake Michigan off Chicago's north suburbs
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two people were rescued after an apparent boat explosion Tuesday afternoon on Lake Michigan near Waukegan.
The U.S. Coast Guard said that around 2:45 p.m., they received a report of a "personal watercraft explosion" off Waukegan. The Waukegan Fire Department said it learned that a boat was on fire near the power plant at the end of Greenwood Avenue.
A Good Samaritan rescued two people on the boat and were later taken to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan. The fire department said they both had non-life-threatening injuries.
Heavy flames and a large plume of smoke could be seen coming from a boat on the water around 3:20 p.m. The Coast Guard said by 10 minutes after that, the vessel had burned down to the water line.
The boat was destroyed by the fire and was a total loss, the fire department said.
The Coast Guard said there was no evidence of any pollution from the burning boat but that salvage crews and pollution responders were monitoring the situation.
The cause of the explosion remained unknown late Tuesday.
