2 Men Burned When Boat Catches Fire

Two people suffered second- and third-degree burns Friday when a boat caught fire in a parking lot next to Castaic Lake, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported.

The fire began when two men sprayed a flammable liquid into a carburetor in an attempt to start the engine, county lifeguard Bruce Kelley said.

The engine backfired and sparks ignited spilled gasoline, Kelley said. The boat, an 18-foot runabout, was engulfed in flames within minutes, he said.

Dean Lamar of Castaic and Scott McKimmey of Del Mar were burned on their upper bodies and were airlifted to Henry Mayo Hospital, said Brian Roney, assistant superintendent of the lifeguard station.

The fire began just as another boater, Maggie Fields, 82, suffered a heart attack on the lake in an unrelated incident, Roney said. She was in fair condition at Henry Mayo Hospital late Friday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.