(Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska)
Three people were rescued from a boat that caught fire near Ketchikan this weekend. At around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard Station Ketchikan received a report that a fishing vessel was adrift and engulfed in flames near South Pennock Island. The three occupants on the vessel were rescued by a charter fishing boat and were dropped off at Three Bears Harbor.
The Coast Guard and the South Tongass Fire Department assisted in extinguishing the fire. When they arrived, all three passengers were aboard the charter fishing boat. They were all adults and no injuries were reported.
The Ketchikan Harbormaster towed the boat to Bar Harbor where the Ketchikan Fire Department worked to put out the remaining flames. Fire Chief Rick Hines said six firemen were there for just over an hour and a half.
Hines said it’s good the charter boat rescued the crew when they did.
“It’s the Ketchikan community, right? If there’s a boat in distress broadcast, a lot of times you have a lot of local boaters and people out fishing that are going to stop their plans and go to try to help save that person,” Hines said. “Once again, that paid off for these individuals.”
Hines recommends boaters have extinguishers on board and always be prepared to get in the water, just in case of emergency. The fire was reported to have started in the vessel’s engine room.
Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Ketchikan is investigating the incident.
