Story highlights
NEW: All 42 crew members are safe
Captain, eight others able to put out the fire and restart generator
Rest of crew rescued by oil tanker that came to help
All 42 crew members on board a fishing vessel that caught fire are safe after a Coast Guard aircraft and an oil tanker rushed toward the scene, officials said on Wednesday.
The captain and eight others were able to suppress the fire and restart the generator on board the U.S.-flagged American Eagle, the Coast Guard said.
The other crew members were rescued by a Tuvalu-flagged tanker that came to the scene to help.
The incident occurred about 1,800 miles south of Hawaii.
The Coast Guard said it launched an HC-130 Hercules to assist the crew of the American Eagle. The aircraft assisted by dropping a pump, flashlights and flares, the Coast Guard said.
The American Eagle’s sister ship, the American Victory, is expected to arrive in three days to relieve the vessel from Tuvalu.
No injuries had been reported among the 42 crew members who abandoned the 258-foot boat at 10 a.m. Hawaiian time and got into two life rafts, three work boats and a skiff, officials said. They deployed a radio beacon.
CNN’s Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.