22 rescued after boat bursts into flames in the Bronx

CITY ISLAND, The Bronx (WABC) -- Nearly two dozen people were rescued after a boat burst into flames in the Bronx.

It happened just after 8 p.m. Saturday near the east end of Hart Island as Marine 4, an FDNY boat, was doing routine patrols in the Long Island Sound and Eastchester Bay.

Three people were pulled out of the water. One person is in critical condition, another is in serious condition, and the third is in stable condition.

Nineteen others were able to swim to shore to Hart Island. They were transported to City Island to be evaluated.

"The boat in order to fit that many people on it had to be a pretty decent size boat. Marine 4 did notice them earlier in the evening and they said there was a lot of people on that boat," said FDNY Assistant Chief Mike Meyers, "We have to get those patients from the water or the boat onto the land and coordinate the land units and EMS units as to where the marine boats are going to be bringing them, so it's an incredibly complex operation."

Police sources say the operator of the boat was taken into custody for being potentially intoxicated.

It is unclear what kind of boat burst into flames. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The cause of the boat fire remains under investigation.

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