SACO, Maine (WHDH) — A retired veteran had a close call after the boat he lives on caught fire.
The fire happened in the waters off of Wood Island in Maine. Timothy Lenz said he had no choice but to abandon his boat.
“I grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to put it out but the smoke was so thick,” said Lenz. “You couldn’t see what you were doing and you certainly couldn’t breathe.”
A fisherman saw Lenz rowing away from the fire and pulled him to safety before they called police.
Lenz bought the boat in 2013 after his wife passed away. He said when the boat caught fire and sank, he lost everything including his military records and his wife’s ashes.
Lenz was uninjured, apart from his hair getting singed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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