SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. -- Quick actions on behalf of a boating couple saved the day for a man and a woman who escaped their exploding boat.
It happened around 4:00 PM about a mile off shore of South Haven’s North beach. Jason and Christie Assink say they were in the right place at the right time when they noticed the smell of oil.
"Yeah, it was fully engulfed," said Jason Assink. "The fire was 15-20 feet in the air."
The couple saw a man and a woman in the water struggling to stay afloat.
“We threw a couple of cushions to them so they were able to hold onto a floating device,” says Christie Assink. “Then we got a rope and pulled them in. They were treading water because they were not able to get to their life jackets because the boat had exploded."
The pair were taken to the hospital, where they were evaluated for unknown injuries.
The South Haven Area Emergency Services got the call and sent out their rescue boat. They put it out and towed the boat back to shore. They're invstigating the cause of the fire.
"Just thankful that we were in the right place at the right time," Jason said.
