Two men rescued from boat fire outside Fort Myers

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WWSB) - Two Florida men are back on solid ground after being rescued from a boat fire early Sunday morning.

The vessel, named Jenna Dawn, was approximately 28 miles south of Fort Myers beach when it caught fire. The captain called for help over radio just after 8 p.m. Saturday evening.

A Coast Guard helicopter came from Clearwater to get the two men on board to safety, at Fort Myers High School. When they landed, emergency services were waiting to treat the rescued boaters.

“Getting accurate and corresponding information from the initial call over channel 16 combined with the use of an EPIRB directly impacted the outcome of this case and we were able to know where they were located,” said Cmdr. Jeanine Menze, operations officer, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater. “The Coast Guard urges all mariners to outfit their vessel with an abundance of safety and communication equipment because it could very well save you or a family member’s life.”