Shrimp boat burns, sinks in Galveston Bay

SEABROOK — Three people escaped a shrimp boat that caught fire Thursday in Galveston Bay three miles northeast of Seabrook.

Seabrook volunteer firefighters responded to the fire at 11:46 a.m., but by the time they arrived, the crew of the Kemah Boardwalk Beast had (take out a leisure boat had)a leisure boat had rescued three passengers from the 35-foot-long shrimping vessel, Seabrook Fire Chief Ray Cook said.

The Beast is a 140-seat speedboat that takes passengers for rides around Galveston Bay.

The shrimp boat sunk.

“There’s no way to determine what caused the fire,” Cook said. “The water was rough, and we couldn’t board the boat. There was no saving it.”

Fire officials have not identified the rescued boaters but said the vessel originated from the San Leon area.

No one was injured, Cook said.