FLW Tour angler Mike Surman and his son, Matt, escaped injury after the Ranger boat they were in caught on fire Thursday on the water during a fishing trip at Lake Okeechobee.
"I had a rough day on the lake, and I am thankful Jesus Villegas was right there to pick me up," Surman posted on his Instagram page along with a photo of the charred remains of the boat. "I’m not sure how the fire started but I can honestly say I am so thankful that I own a Ranger. The on water fire department boat put 500 gallons of water in the boat to stop the fire. The fiberglass melted away to almost nothing. But the boat totally stayed afloat as Ranger promises. It was a rough day but I will be ordering another new Ranger tomorrow."
Surman said the boat had not shown any signs of problems prior to the fire.
"There was a guy next to me right away, and we jumped into his boat," Surman said. "The fire was getting bad so we backed away and watched it burn."
