RESCUE, Va. — A work boat crew from a small fishing village in northern Isle of Wight County rushed to the aid of a fellow waterman whose sailboat went up in flames Sunday afternoon, pulling him to safety and extinguishing much of the blaze before fire crews arrived, a local fire chief told News 3.
The call for a boat in distress came in at 3:53 p.m., according to Carrollton Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tim Nunez. A work boat in the area was first to make contact with the blazing 26-foot vessel in Jones Creek, which feeds into the mouth of the Pagan River, about three miles up from the James River Bridge.
At 4:03 p.m, Carrollton firefighters located the sailboat, and soon boarded a second work boat with employees from Brown's Marina to secure the smoldering vessel. The only occupant of the sailboat reported no injuries.
Altogether, five public safety agencies responded to the call, including boats from Carrollton VFD, Smithfield Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. In addition, a Suffolk police boat brought the rescued occupant to shore, and a Suffolk fire boat completed final overhaul, a process that ensures a fire is completely extinguished.
Carrollton VFD Deputy Chief Scott Brower handled incident command on the call, and Chief Nunez said the involvement of numerous agencies in the response is a standard procedure for maritime emergencies.
There's no indication that any hazardous materials were spilled into the creek, Nunez said, adding that the cause of the fire appears to be accidental.
