Man Puts Out Boat Fire With Flyboard

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A fiery, high-flying scene took place on a Minnesota lake Saturday.

Around 3 p.m. on Cross Lake, Paul Gavic saw a boat on fire from his nearby dock and called for his son, Jesse Gavic.

Jesse Gavic strapped into his flyboard, attached to a personal watercraft driven by brother Caleb Gavic, and headed for the burning boat. After reaching the boat, it only took about two minutes for Jesse Gavic to extinguish the fire using the water propelled from his board.

The people on the boat jumped out and were picked up by a pontoon. No one was injured.

A skyboard is essentially a pair of boots connected by hose to a Jet Ski or other personal watercraft. The propulsion from the boots can lift someone 50 to 55 feet in the air, Jesse said.

"It's different than anything anyone has probably ever tried," Jesse Gavic said. "You really do feel like Iron Man."

Jesse, Paul and Caleb own Skyhigh Flyboards, a company that sells and rents the devices. They began skyboarding four years ago and started the business shortly after that.

"We've actually had people do a lot of different things with the flyboard," Paul Gavic said. They even acted as aerial lifeguards during a triathlon.

Paul Gavic said he got the idea after previously seeing videos of people putting out fires with the boards. They approached the boat's owners before taking action.

"We went over and said, 'Hey, is that your boat?' and they said yeah and we said, 'Do you mind if we put it out?'" Paul Gavic said.

The DNR and fire department arrived shortly after Jesse Gavic put the fire out.

Paul Gavic also said his sons compete in flyboard competitions around the world, including the world championships in Dubai.

"Both of my kids are the best in the world at it," he said.

You can learn more about flyboards at the Skyhigh website. Jesse Gavic said the boards start at around $5,000 to purchase and about $300 an hour to rent. You don't need a permit to operate a board.