4 people rescued after boat catches fire off SLO County coast

A boat holding four people caught fire and sunk along the North Coast on Saturday afternoon.

The 24-foot recreational boat caught fire around noon and four passengers had to be rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in Morro Bay, according to Coast Guard spokesperson Richard Uranga.

One of those people was then taken to a hospital in San Luis Obispo for minor burn injuries, Uranga said.

According to Uranga, the Coast Guard was initially dispatched to the boat at 9:30 a.m due to disablement issues. The boat was 200 to 400 yards off the coast Cambria at the time.

At around 10:30 a.m., the Coast Guard began the process of towing the boat back to its Morro Bay station.

While in transit to the station and about 5 miles off the coast of Cayucos, the passengers attempted to restart the engine while the boat’s anchor was caught onto one of its propellers, Uranga said.

Moments after, smoke began to emerge from the engine as the fire erupted, Uranga said.

The Coast Guard then disconnected the tow from the boat and began evacuating the passengers, Uranga said.

The passengers were later evaluated by the Morro Bay Fire Department and Harbor Patrol after being brought back to shore by the Coast Guard.

This story was originally published July 5, 2025 at 4:13 PM.