A 45-year-old man and two teens were hospitalized after a boat exploded in Waterford Township, Michigan, on Sunday afternoon, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

The man, his 16-year-old son, and the teen's friend, 15, were at the boat launch near Highland Road (M-59) and Williams Lake Road, preparing to take a 17-foot Chris-Craft boat onto Pontiac Lake. 

The sheriff's office says the explosion happened when the ignition switch was turned on, and that all three were on board at that time. 

"Kind of a very tragic reminder to check your equipment, check all your safety gear, including fire extinguishers, personal flotation devices," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

Bouchard added, "One of the first things that jumps into mind and will be part of the investigation was all the equipment functioning. For example, on many boats, you have a blower mower which expels fumes because fumes are more explosive than actually the liquid form of gasoline. Usually, it's an equipment issue or a training issue. The two biggest issues we have on boats is having a failure of either the person operating or the equipment that's being operated."

Law enforcement and rescue personnel were called to the scene around 1:20 p.m. on July 27.

The 15-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital with burns covering 50% of his body, according to the sheriff's office. As of Monday, he remains in critical condition. The man and his son were also hospitalized with serious burns but have since been treated and released from the hospital.

It's an explosion that's leaving investigators searching for answers while encouraging anyone on the water to be prepared.

"Any time you're going to go out on a lake with a boat or any kind of craft whether it's a jet ski or whatever, make sure you're understanding of the craft is high, you've had boater safety,  you understand what to do in an emergency, you've got the right equipment whether its personal flotation device, fire extinguisher, all the things necessary in an emergency," said Bouchard.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation by the sheriff's office.