Good Samaritan Rescues Group From Fiery Sinking Yacht in the Hudson River

NEW YORK – A beautiful Saturday afternoon on the water turned fiery for a group of boaters whose vessel caught fire in the Hudson River.

Thick, dark smoke was seen billowing from the boat as emergency crews moved in and started spraying down the previously out of control burn.

All passengers aboard the 48-foot yacht were rescued by a good Samaritan, who aided the group to an NYPD rescue boat once it arrived. No injuries were immediately reported.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the yacht, which caught fire around 3:30 p.m., had submerged after a losing battle with the fire.

With the boat at the bottom of the river, investigators could have a hard time determining a cause of the fire, one official said.

“Most of the fire was underneath in the sleeping quarters of the boat, which makes that difficult to extinguish,” Joy Hodge, with North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue, said. Copyright NBC New York