Two people rescued from boat that caught fire in bay Commencement July 4

July 4th kicked off with smoke at Commencement Bay — not fireworks.

Two people were rescued from the water near Tyee Marina this morning after their boat caught fire shortly before 9:30 a.m. They were unharmed, Tacoma Fire Department spokeswoman Chelsea Shepherd confirmed.

Emergency calls regarding smoke in the water off the coast of the 5400-5600 blocks of Marine View Drive began around 9:25 a.m.

Tacoma Police Department Marine Services and the Tacoma Police Department Dive Unit arrived at the scene at 9:26 a.m., pulling the two people out of the water. The fire department’s Destiny fireboat arrived shortly after to extinguish the flames, which took another half-hour to bring under control.

Between the arrival of police and firefighters, nearby tugboats from Foss Maritime Company at the Port of Tacoma helped contain the blaze, Shepherd said.

The fire is not threatening Tyee or the nearby Browns Point Marina, she added. There are concerns that gasoline could leak into the water, but by 10:30 a.m., crews had safely pulled the boat into the Tyee Marina.

The investigation is looking into the causes of the fire.