A man has leapt to safety and swum to shore at Lake Macquarie after a 30-foot yacht burst into flames and sank overnight.
The alarm was first raised with firefighters just before 9pm on Monday, August 11, before a multi-agency emergency response unfolded.
A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) spokesperson said crews arrived to find a sailboat engulfed in flames at a mooring about 300 metres offshore of Wyee Point.
A man was reportedly seen jumping overboard. The 61-year-old safely made it to shore himself, where he met waiting NSW Ambulance paramedics.
It is understood he was the only crew member on the vessel at the time of the fire and escaped serious injury.
The 30-foot yacht ultimately sank, with only the mast reportedly visible above the water on Tuesday morning, and the emergency operation was wrapped up in the early hours.
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) and Marine Rescue NSW crews deployed vessels out to the sailboat. Water police also attended.
Officers were told a galley fire spread through the vessel that sank at anchor a short time later.
The hazardous materials unit (Hazmat), with the support of Marine Rescue NSW and water police, deployed a boom around the wreck of the yacht to prevent issues like fuel leakage and minimise environmental impact.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Jane Shirriff said a volunteer crew picked up FRNSW firefighters and their Hazmat equipment from the Mannering Park boat ramp before transporting them to the burning vessel.
"Thankfully, the lone person on board was able to swim to shore, but the vessel was destroyed by fire and subsequently sank in approximately 4.5 metres of water," she said.
Marine Rescue NSW Lake Macquarie operators were broadcasting safety messages to alert boaters of the underwater hazard and urge them to keep clear of the area. A safety marker was placed at the location.
NSW Maritime was notified and will work with the owner of the boat to salvage the vessel.
NSW Police said initial inquiries suggest the fire is not suspicious.
It came on a busy night for FRNSW crews, who were also called to the old railway station in the Newcastle CBD after reports of a fire about 11pm.
Firefighters arrived to the rail sheds, on Scott Street at Bolton Street, and found flames issuing from a small outbuilding. The fire was contained and extinguished a short time later.
