MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Four people had to be rescued from a commercial fishing boat after it caught fire along the Alabama coast.
A statement from the U.S. Coast Guard says its Mobile center received a report about 6:45 p.m. Monday that a vessel named Alexandria Pearl was on fire about a half-mile south of Fort Morgan, or just outside of Mobile Bay.
Photos taken by a Coast Guard member show the boat deck and wheelhouse completely engulfed in flames.
Two MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews that were conducting training flights nearby were sent to the scene. One of the helicopters lowered a rescue swimmer and a life raft, and all four people aboard the boat were able to get inside.
A Coast Guard rescue boat then took the four to shore for medical evaluations.
An investigation will determine what caused the fire.
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