‘Everybody was on fire’: 3 brothers, other family members burned in July 4 boat explosion

ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) - A Georgia family’s Fourth of July holiday weekend ended at the hospital after they survived a boat explosion on the lake.

Matthew Miller is in full dad mode as his three sons, ages 10, 17 and 20, recover at Grady Memorial Hospital from a massive boat explosion Friday on Lake Nottely, WANF reports.

“We are all alive. That’s the most important thing,” Miller said.

Miller says he had been piloting the family boat to take about seven family members tubing. They had to refuel, so he idled in, shut off the engine and turned the blower fans on. The boat was well-maintained and fairly new with only 350 hours, according to Miller, who has 25 years of boating experience.

“We went out there with the family to go tubing to do it the right way. Nobody was drinking. Nobody was doing anything,” Miller said. “We’re religious about boat safety. We had floatation devices on, blower fan on and fueled properly.”

Miller says after refueling the boat, they powered back up successfully but circled back to pick up trash in the water. As family members were reaching into the water to pick up the trash, the back of the boat exploded. Everyone on board got burned to varying degrees.

“They were screaming. Everybody was screaming. Everybody was on fire,” Miller said.

Everyone made it off the boat, but Miller says his sons got burned the worst.

The youngest, 10-year-old James, suffered burns to both legs. He is now recovering at home. The oldest, 20-year-old Aidan, got burned on his legs, arms and back. He is up and walking inside the Grady Burn Unit.

Miller says his middle son, 17-year-old Isaac, likely had the longest flame exposure. He is currently sedated because of the severity of his injuries.

“He has 82% total body third-degree burns, second-degree on his face and other areas. Very dire needs right now. They just got done with surgery. They were able to do 62% of getting the burn stuff off. They did as much as his body would allow them to do. He has been medically in a coma since the fourth,” Miller said.

He says the six-hour surgery Sunday led to some positive results, and Isaac’s vitals are looking good right now.

“We’re not out of it yet. We’re still going to ask for a lot of prayers, but he’s going the right direction. He’s going to have a lot of surgeries, and they’re saying he’s going to be here for probably over six months or so in the Grady Burn Unit. So, we’re going to be residents. We’re going to get to know the burn unit family pretty well,” Miller said.

Miller says the love and support the family has felt since the accident has been unexpected and overwhelming, and they’re asking for as many prayers as they can get.

“God has a plan, and something protected us from something worse,” he said.

He adds they may never know what caused the explosion.

“We were already running. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, fume fire.’ Well, we’re already on way. I think it might’ve been some catastrophic incident, engine explosion or something that caused the damage,” he said. “I’m just thankful I got my boys out. I’m thankful that there was people on the dock that were able to come get us, to help.”

The Miller family has a GoFundMe that has already raised over $30,000 to help with medical costs.

A separate boat explosion Friday at Lake Lanier sent seven people to the hospital with second-and third-degree burns, including a 5-year-old. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said the boat was being towed in near Margaritaville in Buford when it suddenly exploded and sent up 5-foot flames. The cause of that explosion is still under investigation.