Overview

• A recreational vessel caught fire around 8 p.m. Saturday near Hart Island at the western end of the Long Island Sound, sending plumes of black smoke into the night sky.
• FDNY marine units joined NYPD’s Harbor and Aviation teams to rescue 21 people who plunged into the water.
• No injuries have been reported among the rescued passengers, fire officials confirmed.
• Passengers were forced to abandon ship into the Sound as the blaze rapidly engulfed the boat.
• Fire marshals and maritime investigators have secured the scene and are probing what sparked the blaze.