Virgin Gorda resident Neil Dookhan was alarmed when he noticed billows of smoke coming from the ocean on Monday afternoon.
Mr. Dookhan, who lives in Spanish Town, ran onto his balcony for a better look, but he couldn’t quite determine the cause.
“I wasn’t sure what it was,” he recalled.
According to Virgin Islands Search and Rescue member Phil Aspinall, it was the 90-foot-long yacht Limitless going up in flames.
Mr. Aspinall said VISAR received a report about the incident from the United States Coast Guard, and quickly dispatched one of the organisation’s vessels from Virgin Gorda to assist.
“When we got on the scene, the captain and crew had already abandoned ship and were in their own tender,” he said.
No one was injured by the blaze, but the boat appeared to be completely destroyed, according to Mr. Aspinall.
The VISAR volunteer said the passengers were dispatched to Scrub Island and later interviewed by police.
Mr. Aspinall added that the organisation is unable to fight fires.
“Our mission is to save lives,” he explained. “We are not a fire boat.”
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