CAPE COD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Coast Guard made a wild rescue on Friday after a trawler vessel caught fire off of Cape Cod.
Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod crews arrived on scene about 85 miles east of the Cape -- sending a helicopter and plane to the rescue.
The crews battled 25-mile-per hour winds and six foot seas, hoisting all five members of the 100-foot Nobska to safety from the flames.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Briana Carter said that the rescue was unique because watchstanders used an EPIRB signal to locate the ship -- also known as an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.
"[Without the EPURB there was] no telling how long it would have taken [to complete the rescue]," Carter said.
Petty said that officials currently believe the ships fire may have been tied to a hydraulic leak on the ship that was reported earlier.
No injuries were reported.
If you would like to see a video of the rescue, you can check it out here.
WBZ NewsRadio's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.
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Written by Rachel Armany
(Photo: Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard 1st District Northeast)