A 22-foot Chris Craft boat burned to the waterline and sank on the Fourth of July off Yukon Island, but all four mariners on board made it off safely in a life raft. A passing mariner rescued them. None of the boaters suffered injuries.

“Nobody got wet. They were a little rattled from the fire and that was it,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Dave Simonds of the Homer Marine Safety Detachment. 

The boat had just been refueled and with the extra gas the fire burned hot, consuming oil, gas and other pollutants. Simonds said no pollution was seen. The boat filled with water and sank after the fire burned the fiberglass boat to the waterline, with only a small part of the hull remaining. No debris from the sinking has been reported, Simonds said.

Simonds said the boat’s captain reported hearing a small pop and then the boat caught fire. The four mariners only had time to get into the life raft and get away. Simonds said the incident happened sometime in the early afternoon last Saturday, but he didn’t have an exact time.