People, Dogs Escape as Yacht Goes Up in Flames

A 70-foot yacht burned and sank in New Hampshire, sending three people to the hospital, authorities said. The vessel, the Elusive, was on the Piscataqua River heading toward a marina in New Castle around 4pm Saturday when a passenger noticed black smoke below deck, the New Hampshire Department of Safety said in a statement cited by the AP. The Coast Guard and the New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol posted photos of the flames and thick black smoke pouring from the vessel. Three passengers, as well as two dogs, jumped overboard as the boat became engulfed in flames. They were rescued by other boats.

The passengers, identified as Arthur Watson, 67, and Diane Watson, 57, both of New Canaan, Conn., and Jarrod Tubbs, 33, of Jupiter, Fla., were taken to a hospital, treated and released. The dogs are also OK, but officials say the passengers lived on the boat, so all their belongings were destroyed. Despite efforts to save the yacht, it drifted into Maine waters and eventually sank about two hours after the 911 initial call, authorities said. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but an official tells WMUR, "We don’t know what caused the fire and we probably never will because the boat burned down to the waterline and there is nothing left of the boat."

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