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Drowning, boat fire mar busy weekend
There were 14 boat accidents across the state
0531LAKE
Hall County firefighters respond to a boat fire Monday on Lake Lanier. - photo by James Jones

With the exception of a boat fire on Lake Lanier Sunday afternoon, the Memorial Day weekend ended on a relatively quiet note, officials said.

Nobody was injured in boat fire that occurred along the Hall-Forsyth county line near Old Keith Bridge Park, fire officials said.

"Everyone got out OK," said Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell.

About 2 p.m. the boat with three occupants was spotted on fire, said Capt. Jason Shivers of the Forsyth County Fire Department.

The occupants dove overboard and were picked up by another vessel, Shivers said.

Nobody was near the boat when firefighters arrived and it was destroyed by the fire, he said.

He said the Forsyth County hazardous materials unit secured the boat to an island and placed a floating boom around it to prevent gas and oil from contaminating the water. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Corps of Engineers was to decide today how it will be removed from the lake.

Lake Lanier had five cases of boating under the influence over the holiday weekend and three minor boating incidents without injuries, DNR reported Sunday.

The lake's one tragedy this weekend involved Quavante Combs, 17, of Lawrenceville.

Combs drowned after he tried to swim across a cove and went under water, Kimbrell said.

He was pronounced dead at 6:53 p.m. Saturday at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Hall County Deputy Coroner John Abernathy said Sunday.

Otherwise, across the state, the DNR reported one other drowning and one fatal boating accident. There were 14 boating incidents overall during the weekend and 35 cases of boating under the influence.

"All indications from rangers patrolling the waters were that it was very busy this weekend. But after the few tragic incidents occurring Friday to Saturday, we are pleased that nothing more serious occurred," said DNR spokeswoman Melissa Cummings.

The only other activity in Northeast Georgia was a boating incident on Lake Hartwell Sunday where a female swimmer was injured and required stitches.

As of Sunday night, the Georgia Department of Public Safety was reporting 11 fatalities in vehicle crashes statewide — none in the Hall County area.

One person was injured in a two-vehicle wreck on Thompson Bridge Road at Mount Vernon Road in North Hall Sunday afternoon, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

The patient was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Kimbrell said.

The state patrol didn't have further details about the wreck.