A boat owner was burned after his vessel caught fire Thursday behind a home on Jolly Roger Drive in Key Largo, authorities said.
The fire started after 58-year-old Robert Doyle noticed a small flame on the boat's battery after he started it just before 9 a.m., according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Doyle tired to put out the fire with a rag, but instead, the rag caught fire and the flames began to spread, deputies said. The man was able to dive out the cabin door just as the fire ignited, and he was burned on the leg, according to authorities. He was taken to Mariner's Hospital for his injuries.
The boat owner was running the engine because he was planning to sell the boat next week, authorities said. The Key Largo Fire Department is investigating the fire.
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