Three mariners had a lucky escape after being plucked from a smoking boat which burst into flames moments later.

The trio were aboard the 65-foot Blackjack when it hit trouble between Spanish Point and Dockyard yesterday morning.

Bermuda Fire Services Sgt. Troy Brimmer said a team of 16 personnel were alongside the wooden-hulled vessel within seven minutes of the emergency call being received at 11.30 a.m.

But it took firefighters about four and a half hours to finally extinguish the blaze. Police and fire crews are now investigating what caused it.

Sgt. Brimmer said: "It's the worst boat fire I have seen in the 13 years I have been in this job.

"I was told it had a quarter of a tank of fuel on it."

Asked why the blaze was so ferocious he replied: "It depends on what accelerants are down below. That's where it kept flaring up.

"The boat was destroyed - it was just a shell."

Passing boater Chuck Renaud helped rescue the crew who were unhurt in the incident. He said: "I saw there was a lot of smoke and I went out to help.

"They asked me what they should do. I said if it was my boat I would get off. They came off the boat and it was completely engulfed in flames within three or four minutes.

"It could have been a disaster."

Mr. Renaud, of Renaud's Marine Ltd. said the owner had told him that the boat had just been assessed by insurers and was on its way to St. George's for repairs.

He said: "I am in the water 365 days a year and when you see something like that it's definitely a problem. I only knew it was the Blackjack when I got close to it."

Marine Police took fire crews out in two boats to battle the blaze. But it was too powerful and needed the arrival of Marine and Ports tug Faithful to get enough water trained at the source of the inferno.

But the boat was again billowing smoke within moments as it was towed to the Sally Point dump in Dockyard and it was not fully under control until four p.m.

Fisherman James Pearman watched from the Spanish Point shoreline.

He said: "The flames were way above the boat. She was glowing red in the cabin. It is terrible when you are on the water all your life and you see something like this. Thank God it wasn't blowing 30 or 40 knots because it would have whipped the flame up further."

Blackjack is registered by the Dockyard Shuttle Company and used to ferry passengers between the Waterlot Inn and Dockyard.