Coast Guard rescues 7 from burning boat on Detroit River

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued seven people after a 45-foot recreational boat caught fire on the Detroit River early Thursday, July 2. The Coast Guard Sector Detroit received the request for assistance at 2:56 a.m. from Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Trenton, reporting the pleasure craft burning on the Canadian side with people aboard. Coast Guard watchstanders launched the 29-foot Coast Guard Station Bell Isle response boat, and by the time responders arrived the vessel was still on fire. The crew transferred the individuals to Harbor Town Marina in Detroit with no reported injuries. A commercial salvage company later said the boat sank to the river bottom, in a charted depth of 40 feet, and there were no signs of pollution. The cause of the fire is under investigation.