An outing turned dangerous for several people whose vessel went up in flames Saturday on the Hudson River.
Smoke was seen coming from the boat as emergency responders sprayed down the fire, NBC New York reported.
Despite the danger, the entire group on board the yacht was saved thanks to a citizen who acted quickly under pressure.
The person helped the group make it to an NYPD rescue vessel once it arrived on the scene.
Video footage showed the yacht bobbing up and down in the water as nearby boaters watched from a safe distance.
“It might capsize, I’m not sure,” a witness behind the camera speculated:
In a social media post on Saturday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard said crews responded to the incident that happened in the vicinity of 79th Street.
“7 people on the 48 foot yacht were rescued by a good Samaritan. No injuries reported,” the post continued:
The Coast Guard also said in an update the vessel had sunk and officials were monitoring the area for pollution.
Following its sinking, it could be difficult to determine what initially caused the blaze, according to an official who spoke with NBC.
Video footage showed the burning vessel floating along the river as another boat came alongside it. Meanwhile, an NYPD boat circled around from the other side.
It was not long before the yacht sank deeper into the water and eventually disappeared beneath the surface:
“But most of the fire was underneath in the sleeping quarters of the boat which makes that difficult to extinguish because if you’ve ever seen a boat, there’s little portholes,” Jay Hodge of the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue told NBC.
“As soon as we know everybody’s off the boat it’s for our safety too, not to get on the boat. So it’s hard to get water into where… the seat of the fire,” he added.
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