The Coast Guard and several good Samaritans came to the rescue of a powerboat engulfed in flames off the coast of Ocean City.
The owner of the vessel Hard Decision radioed for help Friday morning, saying he had an electrical fire on board, 13 miles southeast of Ocean City.
The Coast Guard launched a boat crew and an air crew.
Meanwhile, multiple other boats rushed over to find Hard Decision fully on fire, with seven people in the water. The people on board the vessel Unplugged pulled the seven people to safety.
The survivors were transferred to the Coast Guard rescue vessel and safely brought ashore.
USCG points out that this case is an example of how important it is to have safety gear, like a working radio.
“The boaters were able to quickly notify our command center staff about their emergency and allowed us to alert boaters, near the stricken vessel’s location, who responded and provided assistance,” said Lt. Bradford Clark, Sector Maryland-NCR, a SAR mission controller.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
