North Bend, Ore. – Two fishermen were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after their vessel caught fire near Coos Bay Saturday.
The USCG said a light keeper at the Cape Blanco Light reported seeing a fishing boat engulfed in flames 20 miles west of Cape Blanco.
A MH-60 Dolphin helicopter was dispatched to the area.
When the helicopter crew arrived, they found two fishermen in their life raft.
Their fishing vessel, the Beverly B, was on fire and partially submerged.
A rescue swimmer was lowered down to assess the situation before the two men were picked up by a USCG motorboat crew.
The men and their raft was taken to port in Brookings.
“You never know when a situation could go bad, much like the case here,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Halasz, and operations specialist at Sector North Bend. “Luckily these fishermen had proper and working safety equipment which contributed to their lives being saved.”
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
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