Smoke off HHI came from boat fire Saturday; ‘good Samaritan’ rescues stranded passengers
.png "Hilton Head residents took to social media Saturday morning to report a large trail of smoke rising from the water. The smoke came from a boat fire that capsized the vessel around 8 a.m. that day, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.")
Billows of smoke visible from Hilton Head Island this weekend came from a boat fire miles offshore that sank the vessel, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A passing boater saved the three passengers from the water, one of whom suffered minor injuries.
The 23-foot boat was about 3.5 miles off the coast of Hilton Head when it caught fire around 8 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Dickinson, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard’s sub-office in Jacksonville, FL. All three occupants entered the water wearing life jackets and were picked up by a “good Samaritan,” who handed them off to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office water rescue team.
Hilton Head EMS crews took one of the passengers to the hospital with “minor burns,” according to a spokesperson for Beaufort Water Search and Rescue, who also responded Saturday morning. A status update on the boat’s passengers was not available as of Monday afternoon.
The boat’s stranded passengers also sent out an SOS signal using a personal beacon device they kept onboard, Dickinson added.
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources is investigating the fire, which caused the boat to sink completely. No cause is currently known.
This story was originally published June 10, 2024 at 5:42 PM.
