Their boat caught fire on the Cape Sunday afternoon, forcing three individuals to jump into the ocean and swim to safety.
Along with the town’s police and fire departments, the Wareham Department of Natural Resources reports that they were called to the Tempest Knob Boat Ramp area at approximately 1:05 p.m. in response to a reported boat fire that involved individuals in the water.
The three occupants were found to have reached shore after arriving on the scene. No injuries were recorded, officials said.
Officials said that because the boat was in shallow waters, it was difficult to contain the fire. Responders used fire hoses to put out the fire from the coast after the Wareham Fire Department successfully moved fire equipment to the Parkwood Beach neighborhood.
Due to the inability to verify a salvage company, personnel managed to transport the vessel to Tempest Knob Boat Ramp using a towline. There, it was safely removed using the boat owner’s trailer.
The town’s Department of Natural Resources released a statement saying, “We would like to thank Wareham Fire for coming up with a very creative way of knocking down the fire and for helping us along with Wareham Police to remove the vessel.”
Mass DEP, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, and the U.S. Coast Guard were alerted to the situation and sent out to help. The cause of the boat’s fire was unknown.
