Driver In Tega Cay Boat Fire Released From Burn Center, Son Still Hospitalized – WSOC TV

TEGA CAY, S.C.,None — Weeks after a boat caught fire and exploded at the Tega Cay Marina, its operator has been released from a North Carolina burn center.

Officials finally were able to speak to boat's driver for the first time this week to try to piece together what caused the explosion, said Lt. Robert McCullough with South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources.

Angel Lopez, 47, of Charlotte and his family were boating on Lake Wylie July 13 when an explosion occurred, bursting the boat into flames. Lopez and his 11-year-old son were taken to the NC Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill.

One of Lopez's sons remains in the burn center. The 11-year-old boy has had several surgeries for burns to his legs and elsewhere, and more are scheduled, McCullough said.

A total of six people: Lopez, his wife, three sons and a family friend, were on the 37-foot cabin cruiser when it caught fire. Four were hospitalized with serious injuries. The names of the others have not been released.

Investigators still hope to complete a full interview with Lopez soon. Officials have said they do not expect to file criminal charges.

Officials still have not been able to determine what caused a boat to explode, McCullough said. A preliminary investigation determined the boaters had refueled and pulled away from the dock when it exploded.

In the days after the afternoon fire, divers pulled parts of the charred boat from the bottom of the lake.

"We know some spark hit gas fumes and it blew up. We just don't know how," McCullough said. "Knowing that it happened is one thing. Knowing how is another. We may get to the point where we have a good guess of what happened, but we may never know."

There were no obvious signs of what sparked the fire visible in the charred recovered parts.

WSOC