U.S. Coast Guard Station Bellingham assists after 41-foot boat catches fire
Two people were able to escape without serious injury after their 41-foot recreational boat caught fire Monday night, June 1, west of Lummi Island.
U.S. Coast Guard Station Bellingham posted about the fire on its Facebook page Tuesday, saying that it responded to the report of a vessel fire near Matia Island — which is approximately five miles west of the northern tip of Lummi Island, according to Googlemaps.com.
Petty Officer First Class Levi Read, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard 13th District, told The Bellingham Herald the call came in at approximately 10:18 p.m. and that two people were on board a 41-foot Sea Sport at the time of the fire.
The boat owners managed to escape to shore on their 8-foot inflatable boat, the post read, and Coast Guard crews provided minor first aid and, with the help of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations vessel, transported them to their home.
The fire was later extinguished by the San Juan County Sheriff/Fire Rescue boat Endeavor, Read reported.
The owner reported the boat maximum capacity for fuel was 400 gallons of diesel, of which an estimated 350 gallons was onboard during the fire, Read said, adding that most of that probably burned off in fire, which resulted in making the boat a total loss.
Read said the cause of the fire was not known.
