Coast Guard: Good Samaritan rescues fisherman whose boat caught on fire near Manzanita Beach

Fishing boat caught on fire near Manzanita Beach

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a commercial fishing boat after it caught fire near Manzanita Beach Saturday morning.

TILLAMOOK COUNTY, Ore. - A good Samaritan rescued a fisherman just before his boat was fully engulfed in flames off the coast of Manzanita Beach Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

At around 6:30 a.m., USCG crews in Tillamook responded to reports of a 41-foot commercial fishing boat on fire about two miles west of Manzanita Beach in Oregon.

According to a fisherman who was trolling near the incident, the good Samaritan arrived just before the boat became overwhelmed with flames.

Nearby fisherman describes the scene of a commercial fishing boat catching on fire near Manzanita Beach.

"I talked to the guy just last night," said an independent commercial fisherman in the area. "He got off the boat before it went up really bad. He’s sitting over there in that little green boat, just to the right. But yeah, that troller… there’s no stopping that fire. It’s going down. It’s a sad deal watching your boat go down. I guess he’s owned that thing for like 30 years. Yup, bad deal. It’s one of the many things that could go wrong out here."

When the USCG arrived, the fisherman was aboard the good Samaritan's boat, as both of them watched the flames and smoke billowing from the 41-foot fiberglass troller. The coast guard then brought the fisherman aboard their vessel and back to shore. He's reportedly safe and in good condition.

At around 8:00 a.m., the USCG crew sent out a tweet, saying they will remain on scene to enforce a 1000-yard safety zone around the boat.

It is unclear at this time how the fire started.

This is a developing story.