3 rescued after 70-foot yacht becomes engulfed in flames off coast of New Hampshire
A yacht in the water near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, went up in flames on Saturday. Three people who were on the boat are safe, said New Hampshire State Police.
The 70-foot vessel, called Elusive, was in the Piscataqua River off New Castle. Photos of the ship on Saturday showed flames and dark plumes of smoke coming off it.
The Coast Guard, along with several agencies including New Hampshire State Police and the Portsmouth Fire Department, responded to the call around 4 p.m.
Other boats were requested to leave the area while crews worked to put out the fire.
The three people, a 67-year-old and 57-year-old from New Canaan, Connecticut, and a 33-year-old from Jupiter, Florida, and two family dogs were all forced to jump overboard. They were rescued by nearby boats and taken to shore, said New Hampshire State Police.
All three were taken to Portsmouth Hospital where they were treated and released.
According to State Police, the boat eventually floated out of the harbor and got caught in the outgoing tide. Attempts to save the boat were unsuccessful and about two hours after the first call it sank near Kittery, Maine.