DETROIT (WWJ) -- A dramatic rescue unfolded on the Detroit River, early Thursday morning, after a 45-foot pleasure craft caught fire, with seven passengers on board.
Officials said the first all came in just before 3 a.m. on the Canadian side of the river, prompting Canadian rescue officials to request urgent assistance from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it immediately launched a 29-foot response boat crew from Station Belle Isle, and arrived to find the vessel heavily engulfed in flames.
All seven passengers were found gathered at the rear of the boat wearing life jackets. The Coast Guard crew safely transferred everyone onto their rescue boat and transported them to Harbor Town Marina. Remarkably, no injuries were reported.
While the passengers escaped unharmed, the vessel could not be saved. A commercial salvaging company later confirmed that the boat had sunk to the bottom of the river in about 40 feet of water.
Officials said there are currently no signs of environmental pollution.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
