Six rescued after tugboat catches fire, burns off Florida coast

摘要

Six mariners escaped into a life raft and were later rescued by a good Samaritan after their tugboat caught fire and burned off the Florida coast. The 3,000-hp Thomas Dann was towing a barge when it burst into flames at about 1700 on July 22. The accident occurred in open water roughly seven miles east of Marineland, Fla., a community halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue fought the fire through the night, and the Coast Guard credited the department for preventing 15,000 gallons of diesel aboard the tug from polluting local waters.