Good Samaritans, Coast Guard Rescue 6 From Boat Fire Offshore Hawaii

Six people were rescued Wednesday by good Samaritans and the U.S. Coast Guard after a passenger boat caught fire offshore Hawaii.

At around 7 a.m. Wednesday, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu received a report that the 29-foot uninspected passenger vessel Kamakahonu had an engine fire with six people on board, just east of the harbor entrance channel.

The Coast Guard launched a response boat and contacted the nearby passenger vessel Makai to assist. The crew of the Kamakahonu dropped anchor, and good Samaritans aboard the Makai safely evacuated all six people on board.

The Coast Guard boat crew arrived on scene at around 7:30 a.m. and began firefighting efforts with fire extinguishers and a P-6 dewatering pump until a Honolulu Fire Department rescue boat arrived. The fire crew boarded the Kamakahonu and used the Coast Guard dewatering pump to extinguish the fire.

The crew of the Makai towed the Kamakahonu into Ala Wai Harbor under fire department escort. No injuries were reported.

“This case highlights the value of strong teamwork with partners like the Honolulu Fire Department,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Ethan Chandler, coxswain of the Station Honolulu boat crew. “The swift actions of the fire rescue boat crew and the good Samaritans were key to quickly extinguishing the fire and keeping everyone safe.”