LAKE POWELL, Utah – A 52-year-old Colorado woman is dead and four others seriously injured when the house boat they were on exploded Wednesday night, according to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 10 p.m., a privately-owned house boat anchored on the shore in the Crystal Springs Canyon area of Lake Powell exploded, killing Kirsten Meyer, of Castle Rock, Colorado, and critically injuring four others.
A juvenile male sustained minor injuries and was treated at the Bullfrog Clinic in Bullfrog, Utah, and subsequently released.
The four others were flown by medical aircraft to hospitals in Salt Lake City and Grand Junction, Colorado. Critical injuries included burns, broken bones and facial injuries.
Twenty other people who were on the house boat when the explosion occurred were not harmed.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation, though has been reported that the house boat generator exploded while attempts were made to start it.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and National Park Service are investigation the incident.
Assisting at the scene of the accident were park service personnel from Bullfrog and Halls Crossing, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office Medical Examiner.
The San Juan County Medical Examiner is conducting the investigation of the fatality. Meyer’s body was taken to the Salt Lake City, Utah Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
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Just a suggestion that this article warrants some further follow-up.
We hope that if this is found to be a systemic problem, a broad sharing of information will occur among owners, and renters.
We have had carbon monoxide problems in the past with tragic consequences, and new equipment (CO Alarms) has been mandated.
This is equally tragic, so let’s hope a thorough failure analysis is completed, and corrective actions taken.
The houseboat didn’t explode; the generator did. Misleading headline.
And why would they send the injured people to two hospitals that are very distant from each other? You can just imagine the difficulties for their family members of supporting them in Salt Lake City and in Grand Junction. Hopefully, they were from differing areas near those two cities.
Don’t you just hate it when you’re on vacation, minding your own business, chillin’ on you houseboat and it blows up?
mike p – you are a horrible person. Shame on you for making a joke @ a wonderful person’s family’s expense. I am the SIL of Kirsten Meyer’s brother. I registered for this site from NC just to let you know that your words are not just words. They have impact on real people. I hope you never have to experience the pain my family is feeling @ Kirsten’s sudden loss. She was a good person loved & missed by many. Clearly, the same will not be said of you.