Four men rescued from boat fire off Galloway Coast, Scotland

The men were criticised by rescuers for not wearing life jackets when their boat caught fire in Scotland.

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The four men in their 20s and 30s were rescued when their boat caught fire off the Galloway Coast.

The foursome’s vessel caught fire on Saturday night, 18 June, and the party had to abandon it in Luce Bay.

A member of the public noticed the flames and raised the alarm. It is believed then men had to tread water for over an hour before they were spotted.
A lifeboat was dispatched and all men were taken to hospital to be checked.

The cause of the fire is still unclear and it’s been investigated.

Terry Simpson, operations manager at Stranraer lifeboat station, said: “The men hadn’t a lifejacket between them.

“One of them had a helmet with a light on it which was what drew the lifeboat to them.

“Two of them had pretty bad hypothermia and all four were taken to hospital to be checked up but were later allowed home.”

Simpson said not wearing a life jacket or having any kind of aid on board was “pretty silly”.

“Three of them were in their normal clothes and the fourth had a wet suit, so they were really lucky,” he added.