Boat Explosion Reminds Some Of ‘08 Accident On Lake Norman

LAKE NORMAN, N.C.,None — A boat explosion on Wednesday in a Tega Cay marina is similar to a fatal accident on Lake Norman in 2008.

Joy Riddle still can't forget the explosion that rocked Westport Marina three years ago. It took the life of dock worker Nat Coppick, who was pumping gas to the pleasure cruiser that caught fire.

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Riddle called Coppick a kind soul.

"He was very friendly and very nice," she said.

Riddle said she was stunned to hear about Wednesday's boat fire on Lake Wylie, which happened just after someone finished refueling a boat.

"I thought maybe somebody was working on something to make sure it doesn't happen," Riddle said.

Westport Marina has added regulations for fueling watercraft, changed the nozzles on the pumps and added vents in the docks to prevent a buildup of flammable fumes.

On Thursday, Eyewitness News discovered Fire Marshal Mike Futrell inspecting the marina. Channel 9 asked him to give a grade on how safe it is there now.

"I think, on a scale from one to 10, you've got a 10 here today," Futrell said.

He said state wildlife officials want to make some of the changes that were made at the marina part of state regulations.

"Several places around the state have looked at some of things we have done here," Futrell said.

But as it stands now, marinas don't have to take any of those precautions.

Without changes, Riddle worries there will be more boat fires.

"When I fill up with gas, I think about it," she said.

Investigators never figured out what sparked the explosion in 2008. The victim's family is in the middle of a lawsuit with the marina and the boat's owner.

WSOC