DELAWARE BAY - One man was rescued from the Delaware Bay on Tuesday after his boat caught on fire, according to the Coast Guard.
Watchstanders received a call around 11 a.m. Tuesday that a 42-foot sport fisher, the Done Deal, was on fire near Delaware Bay's main shipping channel. At the same time, the command center received an emergency alert from the Done Deal near the same reported location. A witness on another boat nearby reported that the boat was fully engulfed and that its only occupant was on the bow.
The Coast Guard quickly arrived to the scene from Cape May and rescued the man from the water. Boat crews from the Little Creek Fire Company in Delaware and the Downe Township Fire and Rescue in New Jersey put the fire out.
The man is not reported to have suffered injuries beyond possible smoke inhalation, according to the Coast Guard. Upon being returned to shore, he was transferred to waiting emergency medical services personnel.
"It is important to highlight the teamwork involved in ensuring the safe recovery of the boater and extinguishing the fire," said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Higgins, the search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. "The efficient and fast communications from everyone involved... were critical in saving this man's life today."
Coast Guard marine environmental responders from Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay are monitoring for environmental concerns. The boat's owner is arranging for the burned boat to be brought in.
This fire is under investigation.