Two rescued from burning boat off Wexford coast

Sarah Slater

Two people were rescued from a boat which was alight off the Wexford coast on Tuesday.

The Dunmore East-based RNLI lifeboat was called out following a distress call made by those on board, approximately 7km southeast of Hook Head.

The boat had caught fire and they called the Irish Coast Guard for emergency assistance shortly before 1.30pm. The all-weather lifeboat, the William and Agnes Wray, was immediately launched.

When the lifeboat crew arrived at the boat, which was adrift and without power, finding two onboard.

The two had correctly followed emergency procedures, managing to control and safely extinguish the fire.

Roy Abrahamsson, the lifeboat's coxswain, said the actions of the two people onboard the stricken boat were "commendable".

"It's a testament to their experience and training that they managed to extinguish the fire swiftly, preventing what could have been a very serious situation," he said.

"They did the right thing in calling for help, and we were there to provide the they needed. This incident underlines the importance of safety procedures and emergency preparedness at sea," Mr Abrahamsson added.

The boat was towed back safely to Dunmore East Harbour where the Irish Coast Guard, Waterford Fire Unit and Gardaí were waiting to carry out further checks and offer assistance.