Man abandons boat after it catches fire
The coastguard said it received multiple calls about a boat on fire
- Published
A man was forced to jump into the water after his boat caught fire off the coast of Cornwall.
HM Coastguard received reports of the fire near Porthbeor beach, off St Anthony Head, at about 14:00 BST on Thursday.
"We received numerous reports of a great plume of smoke, which we could see from the operations room," said Georgia Gowing of Falmouth Coastguards.
The vessel, which was about 20ft (6.1m), was recovered and taken back to Falmouth.
'Fantastic response'
Coastguards said the man had set off his personal locator beacon which enabled the rescue crews to locate him easily.
"A vessel had caught fire, and the gentleman on board managed to escape and jump into the water," said Ms Gowing.
"The response was fantastic.
"The rescue helicopter went out, and the coastguard rescue team from Portscatho attended to ensure he was all right.
"Unfortunately, there wasn't much that could be done for the boat.
"It just goes to show how quickly these situations can change and the importance of wearing a life jacket and being prepared for anything when you're out on the water."
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