LIVINGSTON - A man was hospitalized over the weekend with severe burns after a boat exploded in a canal off the Tickfaw River near Killian.

Devear "Dee" Tureaud, a mechanic, was helping three people fix their recently restored motor Saturday night when it exploded.

"Went to crank it the second time, it just blew, no warning, no nothing, just boom," Tureaud said while being treated at the New Orleans Burn Center.

The men who asked Tureaud to fix the engine — Dylan Fabre, Gaige Wilcoxon and Seth Camallo — were on the boat when the motor blew up. A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries spokesperson said this happened around 9 p.m.

"It wasn't your normal backfire, somehow fuel or something got very excessive in the process of it, and whenever it backfired, it turned into a bomb," Fabre said.

LDWF added that the men pushed the 28-foot boat out of the canal to avoid damage to nearby structures, after which they called the Springfield Fire Department. The boat then sank and firefighters put a boom around it to contain any leaks.

The other three men may have avoided serious injuries, but Tureaud was left with first, second and third-degree burns on different parts of his body.

"I got my arms done [with skin grafts] and they are waiting on my face to finish doing what it is going to do, and tomorrow, I think they going to finish on that," he said.

Dee built the motor for the boat itself and said he has never seen an engine explosion like this. His family has since put together a GoFundMe to aid the family while Dee will not be able to work; his wife, Eleshia is grateful for the help they received. 

"It is very difficult and hard, but we are glad there are a lot of good people that are out there to help us," Eleshia said.

"I'm glad nobody else got hurt, this something nobody wants to go through or witness, you know," Tureaud said. 

Here is the link to their GoFundMe.