Casino Boat Burns In Florida
SIGN UP FOR PROMOTIONS AND UPCOMING EVENTS. About Us; Gaming; Events; Victory Card; Groups; Transportation. The boat carrying 50 passengers caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida. (Pasco County Sheriff's Office). One person was reported missing Sunday after a casino boat went up in flames in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida, with 50 passengers on board. (AP) — A casino shuttle boat fire that killed one woman and injured 14 other people off Florida's Gulf Coast was caused by poor maintenance and the captain's failure to shut down the engine sooner, investigators said. The National Transportation Safety Board released a report this month outlining the factors that led to 42-year-old Carrie Dempsey's death and the destruction of. There is no photo taking in the Casino at any time. Any expectant mothers, passage is at the Captain's discretion; as a practice, pregnant mothers over 24 weeks may be refused passage. Cash, VISA, MasterCard and American Express are all accepted at ticketing office for boarding fee and buffet. Once aboard, all games accept CASH only.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A casino shuttle boat fire that killed one woman and injured 14 other people off Florida’s Gulf Coast was caused by poor maintenance and the captain’s failure to shut down the engine sooner, investigators said.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a report this month outlining the factors that led to 42-year-old Carrie Dempsey’s death and the destruction of the $450,000 boat. About 50 passengers jumped into the chilly waters off Port Richey in January when the Island Lady caught fire, officials said. It was heading to a Tropical Breeze casino boat in the Gulf of Mexico, where gambling is legal.
After receiving a high-temperature alarm on the port engine, the captain turned the Island Lady around to return to the dock, the report said. Smoke began filling parts of the boat, and the captain deliberately beached the vessel in shallow water near shore to evacuate the passengers.
Problems outlined in the NTSB report include lack of company guidance regarding engine high-temperature alarms, lack of fire detection in unmanned spaces, insufficient preventive maintenance and insufficient crew training.
The report specifically pointed out that the captain left the engine idling instead of shutting it off after receiving a high-temperature alarm. This allowed the overheating engine to continue to generate excessive heat, affecting the exhaust tubes and igniting their surrounding structures. Additionally, officials determined that the boat’s fuel tanks were equipped with plastic hoses used as fuel level indicators, and the system didn’t have automatic shut-off valves. This led to the plastic material melting and the release of diesel fuel exacerbating the fire.
Investigators also found that Tropical Breeze had implemented a preventive maintenance program after a previous fire on board another company vessel, but the quality of the program was insufficient. The report acknowledges, however, that preventive maintenance programs for small boats aren’t required or enforced for by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The investigation found that crewmembers lacked sufficient understanding of firefighting principles, with training drills being infrequent or not completed.
A phone message left with Tropical Breeze wasn’t immediately returned.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A casino company said Monday it never had a problem with the shuttle boat that burst into flames off Florida’s Gulf Coast, leading to the death of a female passenger.
Tropical Breeze Casino spokeswoman Beth Fifer said the company does not know what caused Sunday’s huge blaze, which gutted the 12-year-old shuttle boat and forced about 50 passengers to jump into chilly waters off Port Richey.
“We are deeply saddened for the loss of our passenger, the 14 injured and anyone else who was affected by this tragedy,” Fifer said.
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point spokesman Kurt Conover said Monday that the passenger arrived at the hospital’s emergency room at 10 p.m. Sunday and died shortly afterward. He said she had apparently gone home after the fire but became ill.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman as Carrie Dempsey, 42, of Lutz, Florida. Her cause of death has not been released.
Conover said eight other passengers were treated at the hospital and released.
Authorities originally said no injuries were life-threatening.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse said investigators will determine the cause of the fire and examine the history of the boat and Tropical Breeze Casino.
Helicopter video taken by WTSP-TV early Monday shows the boat was burned down to its hull, with only an American flag on its bow uncharred.
The shuttle boat regularly carried people back and forth from the Tropical Breeze’s offshore casino, about a 45-minute ride into international waters. There, passengers would play games such as black jack, which is illegal at non-Indian casinos in Florida, and roulette, which is illegal statewide.
The shuttle boat caught fire about 4 p.m. Sunday, quickly engulfing the boat close to shore near residential neighborhoods. Officials said the boat was headed out to the casino ship at the time.
Tampa Casino Boat
Port Richey Police Chief Gerard DeCanio said the shuttle boat experienced engine problems after leaving the dock at Port Richey, a suburban community about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Tampa. But as the vessel turned back, flames kicked up and people began jumping overboard into shallow water, according to witness accounts.
Larry Santangelo, 57, said he had just driven into his neighborhood when he saw smoke and fire and thought a house — possibly his own — was ablaze. But then he realized it was the boat just about 100 yards (90 meters) offshore.
He told the Tampa Bay Times that he then saw people wandering about confused, wet and cold, after they reached land. One woman collapsed upon reaching shore and vomited, he said.
Santangelo said he took about 30 of the passengers into his garage to warm up and recover.
“It was so windy and they were soaking wet,” said Santangelo. He worried that some might suffer from hypothermia.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire, which sent a huge plume of dark black smoke wafting over sunny skies on an unusually chilly winter day in the Tampa Bay region.
Casino Boat Burns In Florida Gulf Coast
“It looked pretty dramatic because the shuttle boat burned really fast,” DeCanio told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Another witness told the Tampa Bay Times the shuttle boat passes regularly by his family’s home, carrying patrons to and from a casino ship offshore. But he knew something was wrong when he saw smoke and heard shouts and screams.
“They didn’t have much time to decide whether or not to jump,” said Bakr Jandali, 19, who was with his home nearby. “The fire was moving fast. It was a hard jump.”
Casino Boat Burns In Florida Beach
Jandali said passengers had to jump about 12 feet (3 meters) from the boat and wade through waist-deep water to shore. There, residents gave them aid.
“All of us, my family and the neighbors, brought them towels and water,” Jandali said. “They were so cold.”
News footage at the site showed bedraggled survivors cloaked in blankets trying to warm themselves afterward.
The boat was identified in newspaper reports as the Island Lady, a 72-foot wooden-hulled vessel which Fifer said had been inspected by the Coast Guard.
“If we had any type of idea that there was a problem, we wouldn’t have left the dock,” the cruise spokeswoman told the Tampa Bay Times. “There was no inkling that there were any problems with that vessel whatsoever.”