No one harmed in Douglas Bay boat fire

Occupant picked up by nearby yacht

The single occupant of a boat which caught fire in Douglas Bay yesterday afternoon escaped unharmed, the RNLI says.

The blaze on the leisure craft started just before 5pm.

Lifeboat teams from Douglas Station say by the time they arrived the individual had abandoned the vessel and had been picked up by a nearby yacht.

Crews then stood by and allowed the fire to burn itself out before what was left of the boat sank into the bay.

On his first call out as a qualified coxswain, Peter Cowin said: 'I felt for the owner of the boat, it broke my heart watching it burn.'

'We are not a fire fighting unit, our role is to save lives at sea.'

'The heat was incredible, there was fuel, flares and possibly gas onboard which could put the crew in unnecessary danger.'