U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Fisherman From Burning Boat Off Florida

On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued a fisherman from the water after a commercial fishing vessel caught fire about 100 miles to the west of Clearwater, Florida. 

At about 1530 hours on Sunday, Coast Guard Southeast District received an EPIRB alert from a fishing boat at a position off Florida's Gulf coast. Watchstanders dispatched a Jayhawk helicopter aircrew to the scene to investigate. On arrival, the aircrew found a burning vessel and one individual alive and afloat in a life raft. 

At about 1745 hours, in moderate surface conditions, the aircrew deployed their rescue swimmer into the water and retrieved the survivor unharmed. 

“The boater was able to quickly deploy a life raft and abandon their burning vessel,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Isaiah Andrews, a search & rescue controller at Southeast District command center. “Through quick actions and the utilization of an emergency position indicating radio beacon our aircrew was able to narrow the search area for a timely rescue.” 

The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

It is the second high-profile rescue for the region's Coast Guard units in less than a month. In late November, a helicopter aircrew rescued four people who had survived atop the upturned hull of their boat for 20 hours off Clearwater, including a 90-year-old man.