Tri-Cities man burned when boat explodes on the Columbia River

A man was burned and his boat destroyed when the motor burst into flames on the Columbia River on Monday evening.

Kendall Nida was on the river near Howard Amon Park around 7:30 p.m. when he started having engine trouble, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said.

As he worked to fix the issue, the engine exploded, burning him.

Nida dove into the water and a nearby jet skier used his machine to spray water on the flames. The spray from the personal watercraft doused most the fire.

Richland firefighters and deputies pushed the boat away from the dry brush and trees along the shore, and put out the remaining flames.

Nida was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and his boat was towed away.