A 22-year-old man from Etowah, Tenn., was burned Sunday night when his boat exploded on Watts Bar Lake.
The man, Joseph Farrell, suffered first-and second-degree burns on his face, neck and arm and was airlifted to Erlanger hospital, said Dan Hicks, public information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
He has already been discharged from Erlanger, hospital officials said today.
An adult woman and a toddler on the boat were uninjured, Mr. Hicks said.
About 10 p.m. Sunday, TWRA officers on the shore of the lake near the Fooshee Pass area heard cries for help and found Mr. Ferrell, the woman and the toddler in the lake next to the burning boat, Mr. Hicks said. The woman and child had lifejackets, but Mr. Farrell did not, he said.
Mr. Farrell told officers that he smelled a strong odor of gasoline while on the boat and, when he lifted the hatch to look at the inboard engine, an explosion occurred.
TWRA officials were at the lake Sunday for Operation Dry Water, a multi-jurisdictional effort to reduce the number of alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities.
The operation netted 46 citations, including nine boating under the influence charges and six for reckless operation, Mr. Hicks said.