Boater rescues another from fire

A 35-foot power boat caught fire about a mile off Cameo Shores in Corona del Mar on Saturday afternoon, sending a column of black smoke into the air.

A passing boater pulled the occupant of the vessel, its owner, to safety before Orange County Harbor Patrol deputies arrived at the scene around 1 p.m., said Deputy Jim Slikker. Nobody was hurt in the fire.

“The inside of the boat was completely gutted — it was a pretty hot fire,” Slikker said.

The fire appeared to have started near the engine room and quickly spread through the vessel, which charred from stern to bow, Slikker said.

Investigators from the Newport Beach Fire Department are still trying to determine what caused the fire, he said.

— Brianna Bailey