BOAT FIRE

A Piney Fire Department boat pulls up to a burned- out 18- foot Starcraft ski boat after it caught fire Monday at the Crystal Springs Recreation Area boat ramp on Lake Ouachita. The boat’s owner had reportedly just put it in the water shortly after 1 p. m. for an afternoon on the lake when the driver turned the key, causing an explosion in the engine compartment. The owner tried unsuccessfully to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but Piney firefighters who responded were able to get it out. The boat was a total loss, but no one was injured.