Fishing vessel ablaze off Brookings, Three rescued with help of Good-Samaritan

An offshore blaze prompted a dramatic rescue on Tuesday evening, after a fishing vessel caught fire nearly 50 miles off Brookings. The Mariah K caught fire endangering Emanuel Silveira and two others.

According to Petty Officer Briana Carter with the U.S. Coast Guard 13th District, another local vessel, Eli’s Tide, reported the fire to the Columbia River Coast Guard Sector and was on hand helping rescue efforts. The Mariah’s passengers, who had gone over-board, were transferred to a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat out of the Chetco River Coast Guard Station.

One survivor needed a medevac from the Aircrew at Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay. The three fishermen have been transferred to UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital, in San Francisco, as stated in a Facebook post by the Coast Guard.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, although according to a GoFundMe established for Silveira, the engine had exploded at some point, rendering the boat irreparable.

The campaign states Silveira remains in the hospital where he is expected to stay for 3 months, as he begins treatment for burns that cover “60% percent of his body”, according to the GoFundMe. His first procedure was scheduled for August 15th. Silveira runs a fishing operation out of Woodley Island Marina in Eureka, California. Silveira and his wife, Mariah, have two young sons.

The good-samaritans on the Eli’s Tide, a sportfishing vessel for Tidewind Sportfishing in Brookings, did not want to comment. Their proprietor, Kyle Aubin, was on the water that night. Aubin and the folks at Tidewind are just happy that the three fellow fishermen are safe.

Click Here for Video from the USCGNW

The GoFundMe can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-emanuel-silveiras-burn-recovery