WATCH: Fire Sinks 70-Foot Yacht In LI Sound Off Branford Shore

BRANFORD, CT — A 70-foot yacht with eight onboard sunk in the Long Island Sound off the Branford shoreline Thursday after a blaze engulfed the recreational vessel.

The US Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a mayday from the craft and sped to rescue the eight who had been aboard the boat, USCG Lt. JG Sarah Dupre told Patch. Local fire officials said that civilian boats first began the rescues.

Meanwhile, fire boats from the Branford Fire Department, Marine 2 from Branford River and Marine 5 from Stony Creek, and with mutual aid from the Guilford Fire Department, worked to extinguish the blaze for several hours.

Branford fire chief Tom Mahoney said that, "despite our best efforts, it was too well-involved, too dangerous for de-watering." He explained that the fire was "too advanced and unsafe for boarding to reach the seat of the fire," and as a result, the yacht sank.

Dupre said that none of the people onboard were injured. She also said that the investigation into the cause of the fire will be left to state and local authorities as the craft sank in state waters.

Mahoney said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to address environmental issues.