July 05--Sixteen people were rescued from a burning cabin cruiser off Oak Street Beach Saturday afternoon, but no injuries were reported.
The fire apparently broke out near the engine compartment of the 50-foot boat around 2:30 p.m., according to Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. Someone on the boat broadcast a mayday and both the Fire Department and the Coast Guard responded.
A Coast Guard boat pulled the people off while a Fire Department boat put out the blaze, Langford said.
"It was on fire as the Coast Guard was getting them off," Langford said. "That was quick action by the Coast Guard."
He said all of the people taken from the boat declined medical treatment.
The fire boat continued to pour water on the cruiser an hour after the fire, Langford said. "It was a very hot fire," he said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the fire happened Friday; it happened Saturday.
