Smoke rose off the coast of Boca Raton as a 52-foot catamaran caught fire, a dramatic scene that unfolded near 1400 North Ocean Boulevard yesterday morning. According to CBS12, the call about the boat fire came in around 11:32 a.m., after three people on board smelled something burning and subsequently were rescued by a passing vessel as the flames escalated.
Boca Raton Fire Rescue, alongside the city's police department's marine unit and lifeguards, rushed to the scene to battle the blaze. Before the fire got out of control, they successfully extinguished it, with no injuries reported among the firefighters or other responding personnel. A witness captured the burning vessel, which was emanating large clouds of dark smoke into the sky, as bystanders on the beach watch on.
WPBF reported that one individual was transported to Boca Raton Regional Hospital for minor injuries, which were unrelated to the fire. The fire's cause remains a mystery, now under investigation by authorities. Teams worked together with the U.S. Coast Guard in the response effort, ensuring all flames were successfully snuffed out and the area secured.
