Family boat explodes; 5 are injured

By Larry Hertz Poughkeepsie Journal

CONNELLY - A family of five from Stormville were severely burned Saturday afternoon in an explosion aboard a cabin cruiser on the Rondout Creek, Ulster County authorities said.

The victims, Brian Dodge, 50, Laura Dodge, 48, and Wyatt Dodge, 12, were airlifted from the Rondout Yacht Basin to the burn unit at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

The two other children, Matthew Dodge, 16, and Hannah Dodge, 18, were initially transported to Benedictine Hospital in Kingston, but were later airlifted to Westchester Medical Center due to the severity of their burns.

All five were reported to be in stable condition, but with serious burns.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation by the Ulster County Arson Task Force, but it appears to be an accident, Undersheriff Frank Faluotico Jr. -------------------------------------------------------- Fueling with gasoline can be dangerous. The cause of this may not have been determined but it appears that it is fuel related. Dwayne