Sheriff's deputy rescues 3 people, dog from burning boat off Florida's Gulf Coast
· Toronto Sun
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Three people and a dog were rescued after a boat caught fire and became engulfed in flames near an island in southwest Florida last week.
The dramatic rescue was caught on bodycam footage released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, showing a deputy with its marine unit rushing to the scene as smoke billowed from the vessel near Gasparilla Island, west of Fort Myers, on Thursday morning.
With alarms sounding on the boat, the deputy immediately throws a rope to one of the boaters to tie up the vessels, so he can evacuate them safely onto the marine unit’s boat.
‘It’s engulfed now. I got them off’
As the deputy pulls the boat closer, he tells the three boaters to put on life-jackets.
He takes the dog’s leash as it jumps into the vessel first. He then helps guide the three boaters onto his boat before untying it from the flaming vessel.
“It’s engulfed now. I got them off,” the deputy says as other members of the marine unit show up in another boat.
All passengers were brought safely to shore.
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No injuries reported
“Emergencies on the water can escalate in seconds, but our deputies are always ready to respond when it matters most,” the sheriff’s office said in the Facebook post .
“Whether patrolling the land or on the water, we are committed to keeping our residents safe.”
According to Gulf Coast News , local fire crews had also responded to the fire, which was reported about 5 km off the shore of Gasparilla Island.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was not disclosed.