Man saved by good Samaritan, Coast Guard after boat catches fire, sinks in Lake Tahoe

A good Samaritan and a fast-responding U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued a 43-year-old man from a gruesome fate Monday after his boat caught fire in Lake Tahoe.

Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe reported Monday evening seeing flames engulfing a 26-foot Cobalt boat near Dollar Point, according to a news release Tuesday morning.

When a crew arrived on scene, the boat’s driver had already been picked up by a good Samaritan, according to the Coast Guard with no reported injuries.

A Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection crew arrived shortly after to put out the flame, before the vessel sank in the 21-feet deep water.

“It’s unfortunate the fire escalated so quickly,” Petty Officer 2nd Class T.J. Mines, a boatswain’s mate at Station Lake Tahoe, said in a statement. “We’re just happy we were able to assist the owner with no injuries and that Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection arrived on scene when they did.”

This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 9:18 AM.