A 70-foot yacht caught fire and sunk in Long Island Sound off Branford last week and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is warning boaters to avoid the area where the vessel sunk until it is removed, which is expected to happen this week.
Officials from DEEP said the vessel is hazardous to navigation.
Firefighters responded to a call last week reporting a yacht was on fire and people were in the water and crews from Branford River, Stony Creek, the United States Coast Guard and the Guilford Fire Department responded, but the boat was five to seven miles from either harbor and the fire was pretty well involved.
People on boats described as “civilian boats” rescued the people who were on the engulfed boat and the Coast Guard brought them to shore, according to the fire department.
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Eight people were rescued before the boat sank, according to the Branford Fire Department, and the Coast Guard brought them to the Branford Yacht Club. None of the people were injured, officials said.
“Despite our best efforts the fire was too advanced and unsafe for boarding to reach the seat of the fire,” a Facebook post from the Branford Fire Department said, and the boat sunk.
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The boat is anchored, marked with a buoy and reflective tape, awaiting salvage, officials said. It is expected to be removed from the water this week.
The cause of the fire is not known.
