The Coast Guard rescued three fishermen from a life raft Tuesday after their boat caught fire in waters off Kodiak Island.
The fire on the 82-foot Northern Pride became uncontrollable, so the crew decided to abandon ship, according to a Coast Guard press release.
"We couldn't fight the fire -- it was too smoky; it was scary," Scott Beckstrom, captain of the Northern Pride, was quoted as saying. "So we made a distress call, put on our survival suits, manually launched the life raft and got in safely, turned on the (emergency locator beacon) and waited for our heroes, who came within a half-hour."
Another fishing boat, Dancer, called Coast Guard Sector Anchorage requesting rescue services for the Northern Pride crew. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Kodiak responded and hoisted the fishermen from their life raft in Stevenson Entrance, about 60 miles north of Kodiak, and brought them back to Kodiak safely, the Coast Guard said.
"The crew of the Northern Pride was prepared and took the necessary steps to ensure their safety when their vessel caught on fire," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Lindsey Green of the Sector Anchorage command center.
All three were in "good condition," according to the release.