Man rescued from boat fire on Lake St. Clair shares his story

HARRISON TWP., Mich. (FOX 2) - Cell phone video shows how a boat ride home took a dangerous turn on Lake St. Clair Tuesday.

A day after watching his boat go up in smoke, Bill Frohreip, JR. sat with us and shared his experience.

"I’m cruising along. going for a few minutes," he said. "Next thing I hear is, these alarms going off. I figured I’d check it out. I open the engine compartment and smoke is coming out.

"Then I heard these guys start yelling 'You’re on fire.'"

Frohreip says he grabbed his life jacket and radioed for help as nearby boaters rushed to his boat.

A photo shows storm clouds looming over the river as the rescue happened.

"Smoke was really getting to me, I was disoriented," Frohreip said. "I got to the bow. I jumped in, and they put me in their Donzi (boat)."

Lieutenant Gary Wiegand is with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division.

"Right here from this vantage point, you could see the boat and the black plume of smoke," Lt. Wiegand said.

He says first responders put the fire out in 30 minutes. The boat is a total loss.

Wiegand said that in this high-stakes emergency, Frohreip did the right thing.

"He knew where the life jackets were at on his boat," he said. "He put a life jacket on right away. He got to his ship-to-shore radio and called for help.

"As he realized this fire was too large for him to stay on the vessel, he did the right thing and got off the boat."

Frohreip got emotional as he talked about his family.

"I feel good. I have an amazing family supporting me," he said.

He had just picked up the boat from the mechanic and was taking it home when the fire started.

This longtime boater is glad he’s alive to share his story.

"I don’t know that all of it has hit me yet," he said. "I just kind of felt like a pay it forward thing. A few years ago, there was a sinking jet ski and I happened to be cruising along. I had family and friends on, enjoying our day. I chose to turn around, and I was glad I did and we got him out."

Frohreip says he’s thankful for the boaters who helped. He also says a lifetime of boating lessons helped save his life.

Now, he has to talk with his insurance.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.