Smoke could be seen on the horizon for hours on Monday as the commercial fishing vessel Mattie and Maren burned two to three miles off the shore of Block Island.
A call to the Coast Guard was made at about 11:45 a.m., just as the Block Island Ferry was about to complete its 11 a.m. run to Block Island. The ferry diverted to the scene and although it offered assistance, the four people who had been on the fishing boat preferred to remain on their life raft until the Coast Guard arrived and rescued them.
Other boats in the area responded as well, including the M/V Regulus, a 272-foot offshore supply vessel from New Orleans performing geotechnical surveying for Orsted’s Sunrise Wind project.
No one was hurt in the incident but smoke from the fire could still be seen until dark as the boat burned.
The 65-foot boat, with a diesel engine was built in 1969 and operates out of Pt. Judith, R.I.
