Woman missing, two injured in yacht fire - Stock Island, Florida Keys

[DandyDon]

The group was in the Florida Keys for lobster mini-season...

Florida woman missing after yacht catches fire​

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A woman is missing after a yacht caught fire early Wednesday morning in the Florida Keys.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the 70-foot Viking yacht caught fire around 12:10 a.m. at the Peary Hotel & Marina on Stock Island.

A 51-year-old woman from St. Petersburg was nowhere to be found in the aftermath of the fire, authorities said.

Deputies said two men, ages 58 and 21, were also on the boat when the fire started. They were both airlifted to a trauma center in Miami.

Another family of four that was on board was able to escape the boat uninjured.

The group was in the Florida Keys for lobster mini-season, the sheriff’s office said. The two-day season started Wednesday.

The Monroe County Fire Rescue said the boat was fully engulfed when they arrived at the scene. They battled the fire for about three hours.

The sheriff’s office said its dive team and TowBoat U.S. crews were searching for the woman in hazardous conditions where the vessel sank in the marina.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

[DandyDon]

While they were not diving at the time, the family was in the Keys to dive the mini lobster season. One article said that the mom was asleep below while another says she went below to rescue a dog when the fire started. Her husband and son were injured when they tried to rescue her. Her remains have not been found, the husband and son are in critical condition, but the other family of four visiting the boat escaped unharmed...

St. Petersburg woman presumed dead, husband and son hurt after boat fire in Florida Keys

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman as Linda Vella in a Facebook post Wednesday evening.

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