Three hurt in Upton Marina pleasure boat explosion Published duration 25 July 2019

media caption Crews have been tackling a boat fire

Three people have been hurt in an explosion and fire on a pleasure boat.

A woman has been airlifted to hospital and two others have been treated for injuries after the blaze, which happened at 12:20 BST at Upton Marina in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to reports of people who had suffered burns.

The blaze spread to four boats and fire crews worked to prevent the ignition of gas cylinders on the vessels.

image caption The fire burned through the boat's moorings and it drifted across the marina

"Ambulance staff found three patients who had come off one boat and who had been injured," the ambulance service said.

Phil Hickman was at the marina at the time of the explosion and rushed to help before emergency services arrived.

"I jumped off the boat and raced around because I could hear screaming," he said.

"Some lads carried the lady down - she'd got fire burns so we got the hose and hosed her down and lifted her into a trolley to get her off the pontoon."

image caption Three other vessels caught fire after the explosion

A woman in her 60s was airlifted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in a serious condition.

Another woman in her 60s and a man in his 30s were taken to hospital for less serious injuries.

Three other vessels caught fire after the fire burned through the boat's mooring, before it drifted across the marina and sank.

image copyright West Midlands Ambulance Service image caption The ambulance service said a woman in her sixties has been airlifted to hospital

More than 30 firefighters tackled the blaze and the fire service is working to minimise any water pollution and investigate the cause.

Mick Cadman, group commander of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: "During hot weather, fuel needs to be handled with extra care as fuel vapours are highly flammable."