According to Fox San Antonio, a devastating explosion occurred on April 23, 2025, around 7:30 a.m., involving a workboat docked at Taylor Bayou within the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area. The incident happened shortly after the vessel was refueled.
As reported by KFDM, the explosion ejected the captain and another crew member into the water, while a third worker on the dock sustained injuries. A fourth crew member had stepped away moments before the blast and was unharmed.
According to the Beaumont Enterprise, emergency responders from the Port Arthur Fire Department arrived promptly, performing CPR on all three victims. Two men, identified as 45-year-old James Goodie of Abbeville, Louisiana, and 42-year-old Jeremy Rogers of Houma, Louisiana, were transported to The Medical Center of Southeast Texas, where they were pronounced dead.
The third victim suffered a fractured femur and was initially taken to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont before being transferred to a Houston facility for further treatment.
According to WBRZ, the workboat was engaged in a levee restoration project in collaboration with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Ducks Unlimited.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit in Port Arthur is leading the investigation into the cause of the explosion, with assistance from local and state agencies.
The J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area sustained no damage and remains open to the public.