4 fishermen rescued from burning boat

Coast Guard crews rescue fisherman; JFRD battles fire

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – Four fishermen are alive Monday morning after a U.S. Coast Guard crew from Station Mayport rescued from their burning commercial fishing boat near Nassau Sound.

The 79-foot Miss Ingrid Louis sent a distress call about 4 a.m. notifying the Coast Guard that the boat was ablaze roughly three miles east of Big Talbot Island State Park.

A boat crew aboard a 45-foot response boat from Mayport arrived on scene, brought all four fishermen aboard and transported them to Mayport, where rescue personnel were waiting.

The fishermen said they were sleeping when the thick, black smoke woke them up.

IMAGES: Shrimp boat catches fire near Nassau Sound

"We woke up about 4 in the morning. Our boat was on fire, smoking," said fisherman Leon Riggins. "We tried to put it out, got way out of control for us."

They said they used fire extinguishers to try to put out the fire, but realized they were no match for the flames and got into a lifeboat.

The captain of the vessel was treated for smoke inhalation. The three crewmen declined medical treatment.

"All four of us are alive, we're here to fish another day, live to fish another day. So it's all good," Riggins said. "Boat's pretty much gone, so we'll see what we can salvage off that then get back to work."

A Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department boat fought the fire.

Also assisting with the response were Nassau County Sheriff's Office and Coast Guard Air Station in Savannah.

The Coast Guard said the fisherman handled the fire professionally.

"They kept their cool in a dangerous situation," Lt. Grant Johnson said. "These guys don't want to take much credit for how well they responded, but they definitely responded very well."

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Coast Guard believes the fire started in the engine room.