8 rescued from burning boat in Newport

NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) - A day out on the water turned into a frightening ordeal for eight people in Newport Sunday when their yacht caught fire.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a call around 2:15 p.m. that the 56-foot pleasure craft "Blue Eyes" was on fire in Newport Harbor - right off Goat Island.

When they arrived, smoke was pouring from the boat.

"Several people, including some children, were huddling together on the bow of the boat and were helped to climb off onto the waiting boats," said Doug Smith, who alerted Eyewitness News about this story using the "My Report" function available on the WPRI.com app for iPhone and Android smart phones.

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A crew from Station Castle Hill was able to rescue seven people from the boat. The Newport Harbormaster rescued an eighth person.

Portsmouth Fire Department also responded and crews were able to put out the flames.

"He probably was told to shut down his engines, because after a few minutes the smoke decreased considerably," Smith said.

The Coast Guard said there were no reports of any injuries and the cause of the fire is unknown at this point.