California

6 rescued by Coast Guard after boat catches fire, sinks in Lake Tahoe, California sheriff says

Six people were rescued from a boat Sunday, June 9, 2024, near Cedar Flats on Lake Tahoe after it caught fire and sank, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.
Six people were rescued from a boat Sunday, June 9, 2024, near Cedar Flats on Lake Tahoe after it caught fire and sank, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said. Placer County Sheriff's Office

Six people aboard a motorboat in Lake Tahoe were rescued Sunday by the U.S. Coast Guard after the vessel caught fire and sank.

Placer County deputies were alerted to the fire about 1:50 p.m. near Cedar Flat, an unincorporated community on Lake Tahoe’s northwest shore. Deputies arrived to the boat — traditionally used for wakeboarding or wake surfing — fully engulfed in flames as heavy smoke billowed across the waters.

The passengers aboard were “safe with no major injuries,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies and firefighters with the North Tahoe Fire Protection District sprayed water onto the boat, but its hull suffered too much damage and sank, deputies said on social media.

The incident remains under investigation, deputies said.

Placer County Sheriff's Office
Placer County Sheriff's Office
Placer County Sheriff's Office
Ishani Desai
The Sacramento Bee
Ishani Desai is a government watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She previously covered crime and courts for The Bakersfield Californian.
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