'We are on fire': Coast Guard rescues six from burning fishing boat off Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — Six people were saved from the ocean after they jumped from a burning, 81-foot fishing boat late Sunday off the shores of Portsmouth, according to the U.S. Coast Guard

A mayday call from the fishing vessel Three Girls, a trawler, was placed to the Coast Guard’s Sector Northern New England command center shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday, the military branch announced Monday. The six people aboard - the captain, four crew members and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observer - were getting ready to evacuate the boat as the fire spread.

At the time of the fire, the boat was roughly 105 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, per the Coast Guard.

An audio recording of the mayday call was released by the Coast Guard. The caller shared the vessel’s coordinates and alerted the watchstanders that the boat’s occupants were readying to abandon ship.

“This is the fishing vessel Three Girls … We are on fire,” the caller stated. “We’re going to be abandoning ship.”

Minutes after the mayday call, Sector Northern New England diverted a Coast Guard cutter, the William Chadwick, to assist those in the burning boat. Aerial support from the Coast Guard’s air station in Cape Cod was provided, consisting of an MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew and a HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew being sent to the scene.

Ninety minutes after deploying its resources, the Coast Guard located all six people safely on a life raft in the water at 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Additionally on scene alongside the Coast Guard was the Three Girl’s sister vessel, the Princess Laura.

“The William Chadwick launched their small boat to recover the survivors while the MH-60 Jayhawk waited on standby if immediate medical care was needed. At 11:30 p.m. (Sunday), all six survivors were recovered onboard the William Chadwick,” the Coast Guard’s Monday announcement reads.

None of the Three Girl’s passengers sustained major injuries in the incident, according to the Coast Guard.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our crew’s swift response in this rescue,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brent Lane, the commanding officer of the William Chadwick, in a prepared statement. “Their dedication and skill were crucial to the successful outcome, but it’s also a stark reminder of the importance of having the right safety equipment at all times. This rescue highlights that preparation and proper gear are as vital as the bravery and professionalism our team consistently displays.”

An image published by the Coast Guard shows the burning boat bobbing in the ocean under the pitch-black cover of night.

The six occupants from the Three Girls were transported by the crew of the William Chadwick to a South Portland, Maine pier on Monday morning, the Coast Guard reported.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 'We are on fire': Coast Guard rescues six from burning fishing boat off Portsmouth