A man perished Monday night when an explosion and resulting blaze engulfed a vessel docked at Jordan Marina, Gloucester Point.

Major Ryan Cookson of the Gloucester Sheriff’s Office said callers reported hearing an explosion at about 10 p.m. and shortly thereafter seeing the docked vessel fully engulfed in flames. The vessel was described as a 56-foot retired shrimp boat.

Cookson said firefighters battled the fire and conducted a sweep of the vessel in an attempt to local any possible victims after the flames were extinguished. He said moments into the search it was confirmed that a man had perished in the blaze.

Causes of the explosion are still under investigation, Cookson said, but it is believed that the refueling of an onboard generator was the main cause. Although the investigation is ongoing, he said the explosion and fire were not considered to be suspicious in nature.  The victim was not immediately identified pending positive identification by the state medical e...