Two people rescued after yacht goes on fire

Two people rescued after yacht goes on fire

11 September 2024

TWO people were rescued from a yacht which went on fire at the entrance of Strangford Lough at the weekend.

The incident occurred shortly after 5.30pm on Saturday when crew members contacted the Coastguard to report that their engine and overheated and appeared to be smoking heavily.

Portaferry lifeboat was called out and arrived on scene within 15 minutes.

A member of the lifeboat crew transferred on to the yacht to carry out a quick assessment of the crew and the yacht. Both members of crew were on deck and were observed to be fine.

However, there was a strong burning smell and the situation escalated when crew observed flames in the cabin area.

The crew members went aboard the lifeboat before being  taken to Portaferry and put ashore to the waiting Coastguard team.

The lifeboat returned to the scene at the request of the Coastguard to ensure the burning yacht was of no danger to any other vessels in the area and returned to the Portaferry station at 8.30pm.

Coastguard team leader Jude McNeice said: “We launched the Portaferry RNLI inshore lifeboat, but unfortunately when the lifeboat got alongside the fire had already taken hold, so the crew had to be evacuated to shore by the lifeboat.

“The crew were assessed by the Portaferry Coastguard rescue team and fortunately they hadn’t any injuries and had suffered no ill effects.”

Ms McNeice said the owners of the yacht were “not happy at all” about what had happened.

“Unfortunately it looks like they’ve lost their yacht.

“They were experienced owners and took the right course of action,” he continued.

“They had fire extinguishers on board but unfortunately the fire appears to have taken hold very quickly, so they did the right thing in calling us and asking for assistance.”

She also praised the lifeboat crew for their swift action.

“It was difficult to leave the yacht but it was the right decision for the safety of the crew onboard,” she added.

Portaferry lifeboat helm Scott Blackwood said: “When we arrived on scene and boarded the vessel, we acted quickly to get the casualties off the yacht.

“Once they had been returned to shore, our concern was the burning yacht being a danger to other vessels in the area and we stayed on scene until the risk was minimal.

“The yacht crew did the right thing in asking for assistance as soon as they had a problem with the engine.

“The situation escalated quickly and we were there to bring them to safely because they had a means of calling for help and made the call early.’

Heather Kennedy, Portaferry RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: “The swift reactions of all our crew, both onboard and ashore, led to a happier and safer outcome than might have been.”