Boat bursts into flames with 5 aboard, CA officials say. Then bystanders rush to help

Five people were rescued from a sinking boat as it burned off the Southern California coast, rescuers say.

Lifeguards and firefighters responded to a call about the burning 51-foot-long vessel at about 7 a.m. Sunday, July 28, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division, said in a Facebook post.

Bystanders rescued the five people, who were taken to a hospital, rescuers said.

Baywatch Avalon started extinguishing the blazing boat to prevent the fire from spreading “to the island cliff face nearby,” rescuers said.

Photos shared by the department show smoke billowing from the boat near the island as firefighters battle the blaze.

Forty-five minutes after crews started dousing the blaze, the boat sank, rescuers said.

The incident was turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard and salvagers, who will retrieve what they can of the boat to mitigate pollution, according to rescuers.

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