The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people this morning from a burning shrimp trawler off the coast of South Padre Island.
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people this morning from a burning shrimp trawler off the coast of South Padre Island.
The guard says it received a radio beacon alert from the trawler Master D about the fire and the approximate location, which was 40 miles east of the Island.
The Cutter Coho was diverted from Corpus Christi to the Valley and it found the burning boat and crew of three in a nearby life raft. The crew was transferred to the Cutter Coho and then again to a Coast Guard boat stationed out of South Padre Island and brought to shore.
“This case highlights the importance of having the proper safety equipment onboard your vessel,” said Cmdr. Charles Hawkins, Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi chief of response. “The crew was able to immediately notify us of their distress, get to safety aboard a life raft, as well as signal the crew of the Coho with flares.”
The Master D is loaded with 23,000 gallons of fuel and 300 gallons of lube oil, so a 500-yard safety zone has been set up around the vessel.
None of the three crewmembers of the trawler were injured in the fire.
