The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man from a boat that had caught fire 60 miles east of Chincoteague, Virginia, Thursday night.

At around 8:30 p.m., the Coast Guard received an emergency radio beacon letting them know the location of the 45-foot sailboat Trilogy. They then dispatched a plane and a helicopter from the station in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to go help, the Coast Guard said in a release.

The plane got to the scene first at around 10:10 p.m. and found a 58-year-old man, unnamed by the Coast Guard, sitting in a dinghy. Close by was the Trilogy, which was on fire. The helicopter arrived about 40 minutes later and hoisted him up to take him to safety. He had no reported injuries.

The Coast Guard did not say what the cause of the fire was. Officials credited the man’s use of a positioning beacon with making his rescue easier.

“Due to this mariner’s diligence to have [an emergency beacon] on board his vessel, rescue crews were alerted to his distress and arrived in a timely manner,” said Lt. j.g. Erin Bellen, search and rescue operations unit controller with Fifth Coast Guard District. 

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.