A 51-foot motorboat caught fire off Catalina over the weekend and firefighters were unable to save it. The boat, which had five passengers on board, became engulfed in flames and raised a thick cloud of smoke before sinking off the island's southern coast.
Within 50 minutes of the boat's fire, all passengers were rescued and brought to shore, authorities said. The boat's passengers were checked for smoke inhalation and there were no injuries.
The fire started around 7 a.m. Sunday on the “back side” of Catalina Island, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Richard Uranga said.
The ship caught fire early Sunday morning off Catalina Island.
(Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division)
Los Angeles County first responders at Baywatch Avalon and Baywatch Isthmus and Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 55 responded and fought the fire. The passengers, according to the Los Angeles County First Responders Instagram page, were rescued by good Samaritans.
Uranga said the Los Angeles Coast Guard station also responded and a helicopter was dispatched, “but by the time they got there, the… fire had already died down.”
Firefighters were unable to save the boat, which sank.
(Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division)
He said there was no oil or gasoline leak “of any kind” and that the fire was electrical.
Uranga said the next step is to raise the ship, which sank after the fire, and tow it to dry dock where a more thorough investigation can be conducted.
