(WHDH)– Members of the U.S. Coast Guard from Cape Cod rushed to rescue 31 people from a sinking boat off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.

Most of the fishermen were rescued by helicopter and then flown to nearby hospitals.

Crewmembers said a fire ignited on board and then the ship began taking on water.

One Coast Guard member said the weather made this rescue all the more difficult.

“When you throw in 30-foot seas and winds that are about 50 knots it becomes a crew coordination exercise to the level that we rarely see,” said Lt. Travis Christy. “Most people will talk about a case like this once in their career and this happened to be ours last night.”

Investigators are working to figure out what caused this boat to catch on fire and begin sinking.

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