Several people were hurt in a boat fire at a yacht club in Braintree, Massachusetts, on Saturday morning, but more people could have been hurt if not for a fast-acting bystander, officials said.
The boat fire erupted at a Metropolitan Yacht Club dock where it was getting set to fill up gas, fire officials told NBC10 Boston. There were 10 people on board, including a baby and three other children.
Another boater saw the boat engulfed in flames and towed it away from the dock and the supply of fuel, fire officials said.
"Thankfully, a quick thinking member of the club, jumped into action and towed the boat out into open water to keep it away from other boats," police said in a Facebook post.
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That member was a retired police officer, according to the fire department. They didn't identify the boater.
Five people were taken to the hospital for minor injuries of burns, smoke inhalation and cuts, according to police; fire officials said four were hospitalized.
The fire on the boat was extinguished but it was a total loss, according to fire officials. Police shared images of the boat on fire and its capsized hull in the water.
Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros commended both the officer, as well as his daughter, "for their heroic actions at Metropolitan Yacht Club today," he said in a statement, without identifying them.
"I would also like to commend our fire and police departments and their marine units for their exceptional performance in handling this situation," Kokoros continued.
