Explosion, fire injures 2 on Mount Vernon Ave. in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Two people suffered serious burn injuries as the result of an explosion inside a commercial building on Mount Vernon Avenue in Portsmouth Wednesday.

Portsmouth Fire responded to a call for a fire around 6:23 p.m. to United Shipboard Alterations and Repairs, located at 727 Mount Vernon Ave.

Crews arrived to the scene to find heavy smoke “bellowing from the doors.” Inside the building they found two people suffering from serious injuries. Both people were transferred to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital to be treated.

A WAVY 10 viewer, Terrie L., sent video of the scene at Mount Vernon Avenue.

People who live next to and across the street from United Shipboard said they heard an explosion that shook their homes. Moments later, they saw dark smoke and people running out of the building.

“I felt the explosion through my whole house,” said Matthew Kornegay, who lives across the street. “It felt like something had fallen.”

Kornegay watched at United Shipboard employees ran from the smoke and flames as dark gray smoke filled the sky.

“A gentleman came out with burnt clothes on,” Kornegay said. “It was just like something blew up, there’s a fire.”

Another man who lives next door said off camera that he knows the man who was injured, saying he saw bad burns on the man’s arms as he walked out of the building while being taken away by ambulance.

The man said he believes his friend and another employee, a woman, were working inside a red boat when they flipped a switch and a gas leak inside the watercraft caused an explosion.

Crews worked to put out the fire to a large boat inside the building, which sustained heavy fire and smoke damage. Portsmouth fire said the boat had a system failure, resulting in a small explosion.

“There was a boat inside the structure that caught on fire,” said Portsmouth Fire Battalion Chief Andrew Creekmore, who said his crews rotated through as they worked to put out the fire, and were careful of chemical exposure.

“With this one, it was more hydrocarbons that were burning with a fiberglass boat,” Creekmore said. “We’re monitoring that and documenting any exposures.”

The fire was marked under control at 7:02 p.m., and the Portsmouth Fire Marshal’s Office has found the cause of the fire to be accidental. There were no reported injuries to firefighters at the scene.

“I see people coming in and out of there all the time at all hours of the night,” Kornegay said. “I know people are over there working hard. Hopefully they get everything they need.”

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