Photo courtesy Crook County Sheriff’s OfficeFire consumes a boat on Prineville Reservoir Sunday. The family aboard swam to shore before flames spread throughout the vessel, which eventually sank.

Three people escaped a fire aboard a motorboat Sunday on Prineville Reservoir by jumping into the water and swimming to shore.

“It looks like it was probably engine trouble that caused it,” said Sgt. James Savage of the Crook County Sheriff’s Office. The three swam about 30 yards to reach land near the Powder House Cove boat ramp, off of state Highway 27.

Anthony Howden, 40, of Bend was trying to start the inboard motor of a 1972 Caravelle boat around 1:30 p.m. when a fire ignited in the engine compartment, according to the sheriff’s office. He tried to squelch the blaze with a fire extinguisher, but the extinguisher didn’t work.

Howden then told his family to go overboard, according to the sheriff’s office. The three swam to shore without the aid of life jackets. They had life jackets on the boat, but they weren’t accessible during the fire.

Savage said he didn’t have an exact temperature reading for the reservoir’s water Sunday, but it was chilly.

“One of (the boaters) was treated for hypothermia, so it was pretty cold,” he said. No other injuries were reported. Information about the other two people in the boat was not available.

The mint green boat burned for an hour and drifted close to shore before sinking into the reservoir, according to the sheriff’s office.

In his 13 years with the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Savage said, he hadn’t heard of a boat catching fire like the one on Sunday. Still, he said, boaters should include a fire extinguisher among their safety gear.

Each year the sheriff’s office marine patrol offers free boat inspections, during which deputies provide advice on making boats safer.

The event is planned for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ochoco Plaza in Prineville.

— Reporter: 541-617-7812, ddarling@bendbulletin.com