2 men rescued after boat catches fire near Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Coast Guard says

A boat owner made a mayday call for help after his 60-foot boat caught fire east of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Thursday, according to the Coast Guard.

The engines were engulfed in flames, the man said, and he and another man aboard the boat had used all available fire extinguishers, the Coast Guard said in a news release Friday.

After receiving the distress call on VHF channel 16 — the marine distress channel — Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg personnel dispatched a 45-foot Response boat, a 29-foot Response boat and a Hillsborough County Fire Rescue marine unit to the scene.

The uninjured men were rescued and taken to O’Neill’s Marina, where emergency services personnel were waiting, the Coast Guard said.

The owner of the boat made arrangements with commercial salvage services for salvage operations, the release said.

“Through coordination with multiple response organizations, we were able to quickly prevent the fire on board the vessel from doing more damage and mitigate the risk of environmental impact,” said Cmdr. Shawn Lansing, deputy commander of Sector St. Petersburg, in a statement. “We are glad that the mariners realized they were in distress, and we were able to be there quickly along with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Ultimately the mariner’s quick actions led to our success.”