Five People Safely Rescued After Boat Catches Fire

Members of a multi-agency Marine Emergency Response Team known as 'MERT' were on the water training at the time.

Several people had to be rescued after a boat caught fire in the ocean near Murrells Inlet.

It happened around 11:15am Thursday nearly 2.5 miles off the coast. Flames broke out on a 42-foot fishing boat. Crews closed the hatches on the vessel to extinguish the fire before first responders arrived. Five people were safely rescued and no injuries were reported.

The vessel remains anchored in the area, and its owners will be working on recovery with a commercial salvage company. Members of a multi-agency Marine Emergency Response Team known as ‘MERT’ were on the water training at the time and were able to reach the boat’s location in a matter of minutes. Other departments also assisted.