KEY WEST, FLA. (WSVN) - A family of three was rescued after the boat they were on caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico, and the rescue was caught on camera.
The family on board was forced to abandon their 40-foot boat when the flames erupted. They jumped into the Gulf of Mexico Monday morning.
The captain of the Key West Express spotted the family and alerted passengers about the nearby boat before they were picked up by the ferry.
Passengers on the ferry ran from their rooms to record the rescue.
One man said he saw the family jump off the boat and into the rough waves. “You could see the flames and everything coming through,” said one passenger. “It looked like an engine fire.”
He posted the video onto his Facebook page. “Scary for us because you got such a big boat such as the Key West Express,” he said, “and him trying to maneuver around to pick these people up.”
Many people said that they were in the right place at the right time.
The family was holding onto a crab buoy as crews helped them get to safety.
The ferry was on its run from Fort Myers to Key West when they picked up the family.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.