A man has died after a boat explosion took place in Wilmette Harbor Saturday morning, according to the Wilmette Fire Department.
The man was identified as 67-year-old Mitchell Sroka by the Cook County Medical Examiner on Saturday night.
Officials, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Wilmette police, responded to the north suburban harbor around 8 a.m. Saturday.
Wilmette Fire Chief Ben Wozney said upon arrival, crews found a boat on fire attached to the fueling dock at the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club. The fire was extinguished and the boat was completely submerged, according to Wozney.
A local salvage company has now pulled the boat from the water, and police are still investigating the incident.
Sroke was found unresponsive as a result of the incident, and another man, 74, resident of Arlington Heights, was transported to Evanston Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.
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Investigators still have not determined how the explosion happened, and the state fire marshal is on the scene assisting with the investigation.
