Eight People Escape Unharmed From Boat Fire

The Maine Warden Service says 8 people escaped safely when their boat caught fire on the 4th of July.

Corporal John MacDonald says the fire was reported shortly before 3:00 Wednesday afternoon on Morrill Pond in Hartland. The boat's owner, 43-year-old Christopher Gibson of Acworth, Georgia told wardens that all eight of his passengers had made it to shore safely. Members of the Hartland Fire Department, as well as boaters who saw the fire, helped get all the passengers safely to the shore before wardens arrived on the scene. No one was hurt in the incident.

When the fire broke out, Gibson and five passengers under the age of 16 were in the boat. In addition, Gibson's son and a friend were being towed on a tube behind the boat. Officials say the cause of the fire aboard the 18-foot long motorboat has not been determined but it appears it started in the engine compartment.

The Maine Warden Service continues to investigate the incident.