Man Escapes Lobster Boat Fire Off Ipswich Coast

IPSWICH (CBS) -- A man escaped a lobster boat that caught fire and sank off the coast of Ipswich Friday morning.

The fisherman, Sam Allen, was aboard the 28-foot Dawn Breaker when the fire broke out around 9:30 a.m. The Coast Guard said he tried to put it out using a portable fire extinguisher, but couldn't keep up with the flames.

He put on a survival suit, called the Coast Guard with a portable radio and then jumped off the boat.

He kept his personal locator beacon with him, and two good Samaritans in a skiff picked him up within 15 minutes.

"We raced in and we pulled him out of the water," Phillip Wallfield said. "He was out of breath, boat totally engulfed."

Ipswich firefighters took him to shore to be checked out. EMTs determined that he didn't need medical attention.

"He lives to fish another day," said Ipswich Fire Lt. Lee Prentiss. "Unfortunately he lost everything."

It's not clear yet what caused the fire.