Expand / Collapse search
☰

2 people airlifted to hospital from sailboat explosion in Port Townsend, WA

By
Published  February 15, 2026 3:23pm PST
Port Townsend
FOX 13 Seattle

The Brief

    • There was an explosion on a 50-foot sailboat in Port Townsend on Sunday.
    • Two people aboard were injured. They were able to escape with their dog.
    • While being airlifted to the hospital, multiple agencies from around the region stepped in for critical response.

PORT TOWNSEND (Wash.) - Two people are in the hospital with burn injuries after a sailboat explosion in the Glen Cove area of Port Townsend, Washington on Sunday caused them to evacuate the vessel on a dingy. 

Smoke was seen billowing into the air following the explosion. Early 911 calls came from the pair that had escaped the boat with burns on 20% of their bodies.

Timeline:

First responders arrived and found the two people with a dog on the dingy as they were distancing themselves away from the sailboat on Feb. 15. 

smoke rises in the air near the scene of a sailboat explosion in port townsend, washington

Smoke billows from scene of sailboat fire and explosion in Port Townsend on Feb. 15, 2026 (Source: East Jefferson Fire Rescue)

The burn victims were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center's Burn Unit for their injuries while East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) reports multiple emergency agencies were notified of the incident, including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology, and more.

EJFR was placed on a "status-zero" protocol during the initial response efforts, meaning they were committing all available units to assist. 

What they're saying:

"EJFR’s off-duty firefighters and volunteers answered the call for help, staffing several fire stations during today’s threshold event. EJFR would also like to acknowledge the important and vital support provided by the U.S. Navy’s Firefighters on Indian Island, U.S. Coast Guard, Port Townsend Police Department, Jefferson County Sherriff’s Office, Port of Port Townsend, Vessel Assist and the exceptional efforts by the JeffCom dispatchers" said Fire Chief Bret Black.

MORE NEWS ON FOX 13 SEATTLE

City of Seattle settles lawsuit over death of Jaahnavi Kandula

Some gift cards sold at Costco are now worthless

Seahawks Super Bowl parade: Video, highlights, more from downtown Seattle

Semi full of candy crashes on Highway 18 in Covington

Crowds climb, damage Seattle's historic pergola after Seahawks Super Bowl win

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.

Port TownsendNews