Police: 5 rescued from Great South Bay after boat fire

Five people were rescued from the Great South Bay after their 27-foot boat caught fire Wednesday night, forcing them into the water just east of the Robert Moses Causeway bridge, Suffolk County police and the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.

None of the male boaters -- two 15-year-olds, two 18-year-olds, one 19-year-old -- was identified. All were rescued from the water by the Coast Guard after a brief search that included a Suffolk police helicopter and Marine Bureau personnel.

Police said the 911 call came in at 9:25 p.m. and the rescue was made at 9:54 p.m.

A Coast Guard crew from Station Fire Island was dispatched and found the boaters, all of whom had donned flotation devices, in the water near the entrance to Snakehill Channel, which is just east of Captree Island, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

"This case was flawlessly executed by all parties involved and serves to highlight the superb relationship we enjoy with our state, local and private maritime partners," Cmdr. Andrew Ely, chief of response for Sector Long Island Sound, said in a statement.

None of the boaters was injured. All refused medical attention at the scene, police said.

The boat fire was extinguished by volunteers from the West Islip Fire Department.

A Sea Tow crew took the boat to the Oakdale Yacht Club, and the boaters were transported to the nearby West Islip Marina, the Coast Guard said.