Crabbers rescued when boat catches on fire

By Erik Sanzenbach
St. Tammany News
Published on Sunday, August 22, 2010 12:23 AM CDT

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Two Slidell men didn’t have much luck crabbing Thursday afternoon in Lake Pontchartrain about a mile from shore near the U.S. Highway 11 bridge.

The boat used by the commercial crabbers caught fire around 1 p.m. according to Capt. George Bonnett, spokesman for the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office. Dispatchers got several 911 calls from motorists on the bridge, and deputies with the Sheriiff’s Office Marine Division responded in three boats.

Also, Bonnett said the Sheriff’s Office helicopter was on its way to the Northshore Harbor Center to take part in the East St. Tammany Business and Community Showcase spotted the fire and headed to the are to give assistance

Two unlucky crabbers sit in the bow of the St. Tammany Sheriff’s boat after deputies extinguished the fire of the boat. (Photo by Sgt. Greg Gonzales of the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office)

While one of the Sheriff’s boats rescued the two fishermen from the lake waters, another boat, equipped with firefighting equipment quickly extinguished the crabber’s boat fire.

Bonnett said both men suffered minor injuries, but they refused any medical attention.

According to the crabbers, the fire on the boat was caused by faulty wiring. Bonnett said the two men tried to put out the fire themselves, but they ran into a problem.

“They either grabbed a container that contained both fuel and water, or there was traces of fuel that got mixed with the water,” Bonnett said.

As a result, the fire just spread faster, and both fishermen were forced to jump into the lake.

The boat was declared a total loss.

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