2 New Canaan Residents Rescued After Boat Catches On Fire, Sinks: PD

NEWCASTLE, NH — Two New Canaan residents were on board a boat when it caught fire, and they were forced to jump overboard and were rescued by emergency responders, said New Hampshire State Police.

At 4 p.m. Saturday, 911 received a call of a boat on fire on the Piscataqua River, near Little Harbor in Newcastle, NH, police said.

Emergency responders were notified and on scene within minutes, police said. The vessel, ‘Elusive’, a 70-foot 2007 Marlow, was heading toward Wentworth Marina when a passenger noticed black smoke below deck, police said.

According to passengers, within minutes the boat completely filled with smoke, police said. Three passengers, as well as two family dogs, jumped overboard as the boat became engulfed in flames, police said.

The three passengers: Arthur Watson, 67, and Diane Watson, 57, both of New Canaan, CT, Jarrod Tubbs, 33, of Jupiter, FL were rescued by nearby boats and taken to shore, police said. All three were transported to Portsmouth Hospital, where they were treated and released.

The vessel drifted out of the harbor with the outgoing tide across the state line into Maine. Efforts by several agencies to save the boat were unsuccessful, police said. Within two hours of the initial call, the boat sank in waters off Kittery, ME, police said.

The cause of the fire is unknown. State police said both dogs were rescued and are doing well.