Harrowing video captured the moment two people jumped off their burning boat seconds before it exploded – at the urging of a couple who saved them from the inferno.
The unidentified boaters are seen struggling amid the growing flames and thick black smoke Friday aboard the 21-foot Baja on West Grand Traverse Bay in Michigan, dramatic footage shared with ABC 11 shows.
“It’s too late, guys! It’s too late!” passing boater Nathan Greenwood yells at the pair who initially appear confused as to how to respond.
“Get off the boat! It’s gonna blow!” Greenwood shouts, as his wife also yells: “Jump out right now!”
With flames completely covering the passenger area — seemingly reaching the pair inside — the two boaters eventually haul themselves over the side and into the water.
“Within three seconds of them jumping off of the boat, it exploded” and later sank, Greenwood told ABC 11.
Greenwood said it was pure luck that he and his wife were there to shout warnings and then scoop up the unidentified boaters from the water.
“Whimsically, I decided to go out on a boat ride. We have our office right on the water there. It was a beautiful day, don’t normally do that. So it’s just very coincidental,” Nathan told UpNorthLive.com.
“By the time I was there, it was fully engulfed with smoke. Flames hadn’t fully engulfed the boat yet but there was definitely an immense amount of smoke,” he said.
“There’s no way that we’re going to be able to put this fire out, we need to get them on board before it blows up, it’s literally just making a decision to save your life or to stay on board to die,” Nathan added.
He said he knew that if the pair didn’t jump they’d either pass out from the smoke or get burned alive.
The small boat sank in 70 feet of water.
Nathan said he told the two lucky boaters, who have not been identified, about sharing the shocking video to serve as a reminder to everyone about being prepared for an emergency. There was no mention of either being injured.
The Lake Marine Services reportedly removed the ill-fated boat from the water on Sunday. The cause of the fire was not available.
