Major rescue operation off coast of Dun Laoghaire as fire erupts on 'pleasure craft' then sinks

Major rescue operation off coast of Dun Laoghaire as fire erupts on 'pleasure craft' then sinksThe Coast Guard was alerted to a fire on board the 11-metre pleasure craft with four people rescuedCommentsNewsMark O'Brien and Annette Belcher19:16, 18 Apr 2026Updated 19:20, 18 Apr 2026View ImageThe boat had people on board(Image: Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard)A major rescue operation was launched today after a boat caught fire and then sunk in a popular coastal spot.‌Dramatic scenes were captured before 4pm today (Saturday, April 18) when the Coast Guard received a call that there was a fire on board the 11-metre pleasure craft a mile-and-a-half off the coast of Dun Laoghaire.‌A lifeboat from Dun Laoghaire RNLI arrived at the scene minutes later and managed to successfully evacuate the four adults who were aboard and take them to shore, DublinLive reports.‌Gardai, the Dun Laoghaire All Weather Lifeboat and Dublin Port tug also attended the scene along with Dublin Fire Brigade. The fire was reported extinguished shortly after 5pm and the vessel subsequently sank.A spokesperson for the Department of Transport told Dublin Live: "At approximately 15:45 today an 11-metre pleasure craft with 4 adults called the Coast Guard reporting a fire on board. The vessel was about 1.5 miles NE of Dun LaoghaireArticle continues below"MRCC Dublin immediately tasked Dun Laoghaire RNLI and at approximately 15:56 Dun Laoghaire RNLI (Inshore Lifeboat) arrived on scene and successfully evacuated the 4 adults and took them ashore to be assessed at the RNLI station, where they were met by HSE and Fire Service personnel."Dun Laoghaire All Weather Lifeboat and Dublin Port tug remained on scene monitoring. MRCC Dublin were in liaison with the Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard Unit, Dun Laoghaire RNLI and Dublin Port. At approximately 17:15 the vessel fire was reported extinguished and the vessel sunk."