Operator of watercraft hurt when it explodes at Ellis Harbor

CEDAR RAPIDS — The operator of a personal watercraft was injured Friday morning when the craft exploded while docked at Ellis Harbor, authorities said.

Cedar Rapids Fire Department crews were at the nearby Mohawk Park ramp conducting training with members of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office when calls came in about 10:47 a.m. reporting an explosion at the harbor in the 2500 block of Ellis Road NW. Crews responded to the scene with a fire engine and a boat.

Workers with Area Ambulance treated the operator, who was identified only as a male in his 40s, and transported him to UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital. The nature of his injuries and his condition were not released.

The fire department listed the cause of the explosion as “unintentional’ and said the personal watercraft was a “total loss.”