LAKE ROOSEVELT, Wash. – A boating trip turned into a nightmare for the Marchand family after a gas can explosion on their boat left five family members with serious burns. The explosion occurred on Tuesday night, and the victims are currently receiving treatment at Harborview Medical Center.
Lori Marchand, who was on the phone from Seattle, recounted the terrifying experience. Her husband, daughter and two grandchildren were on the boat.
“I could hear kids screaming. And that’s something I’ll never forget. The sheer terror and the pain,” she said.
The explosion is believed to have been caused by a gas can on the boat. Lori explained, “It’s hard to tell a little kid when they say why. You just don’t have answers. You know, when you’re hurting.”
The family has been boating at Jones Bay for over 20 years. On that fateful day, they received a call from friends who were out of gas, and without considering any danger, they decided to help.
“It was, you know, getting into the evening, they had the idea, we’ll just take them some gas, we thought, we don’t have to tow them back,” Lori said.
Shawn Marchand prepared the boat, and his daughter, her children aged 2 and 5, and another child boarded for the ride.
Lori stayed behind at the camp. She described the moment of the explosion, “I was sitting at camp, and I heard a pop. Like, I don’t even know if it came from that boat, but we heard, like, a little pop and then we heard and seen this huge plume of smoke and everybody screamed fire and I just heard kids screaming and people yelling.”
Lori’s husband, daughter, and the children all suffered severe burns.
Reflecting on the incident, Lori said, “It was just a freak accident. I don’t think anybody’s to blame. I don’t think anybody’s ever going to know what happened.”
As the family faces a long road to recovery, Lori emphasized the importance of support and prayer, stating, “We need to pray for those that are hurt.”
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