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Eight Rescued in Boat Fire Off Branford-Guilford Coast

Eight people in the water, escaping a 70-foot yacht on fire, were rescued by civilian boaters in Long Island Sound on Thursday, Aug. 12 while marine units from US Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Long Island Sound, Branford Fire Department and Guilford Fire Department raced to the spot, described as 5 to 7 miles away from both the harbors of Branford and Guilford, to combat the blaze.

No injuries were reported. The boat, which was engulfed by fire, was extinguished and sunk at the scene.

Information shared by Branford Fire Department on its Facebook page Aug. 12 reported Branford Fire Department was dispatched at 1:19 p.m. in response to a report of a 70-foot yacht on fire with people in the water. 

"Marine 2 from Branford River and Marine 5 from Stony Creek responded along with USCG and mutual aid from Guilford Fire Department" the post stated. "The boat was 5-7 miles from either harbor and well involved upon arrival. 8 people were rescued by nearby civilian boats and transported to shore by the Coast Guard without injuries. Despite our best efforts the fire was too advanced and unsafe for boarding to reach the seat of the fire. The craft eventually sunk, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to the scene to address environmental issues . The cause of the fire is unknown at this time."

The post also went on to state that Branford Fire Department "... handled 9 additional incidents while the boat incident was ongoing."