Coastal water rescue B.C.: teenager notices fire during his holiday
A teenager's birthday party at a beach house in Port Stalashen, near Sechelt, suddenly turned into a rescue mission. At around 3:30 p.m., the boy noticed smoke coming from the direction of the White Isles, and his father, using binoculars, saw thick black smoke billowing from the 15-meter wooden Chris-Craft vessel.
The family's own boat was being repaired, so they rushed to the marina to look for a speedboat. After contacting a neighbor, the father and son took his boat and headed to the burning side, where a local resident also managed to approach on a motorized hydrofoil.
Two of the victims were already in the cold water, and the third was waiting on the burning deck. The guy lowered the ladder, pulled two swimmers aboard, after which the boat approached the burning vessel to remove the last passenger. The wet people were immediately taken home to warm up before the arrival of Coast Guard on a hovercraft. Medics confirmed that no one needed hospitalization, and the emergency boat sank shortly after.
Source: Father and son rescue three men from boat burning off B.C. coast - CTV News
Context
The White Islets Rockies are located approximately two kilometers off the coast of Wilson Creek near the town of Sechelt in the Strait of Georgia. This small body of water and its coastal reefs are designated as an Important Bird Area, providing a permanent resting and nesting site for thousands of seabirds, including cormorants and martins.