The Coast Guard station at Galveston got the call just after six this morning that the fishing boat the Compadre was on fire about 100 miles southeast of Sabine Pass.
A helicopter responded, but the three crewmen had already been rescued, by a research vessel that took them to a nearby oil rig. The helicopter took the men off the rig and flew them to the Coast Guard Air Station here in Houston, where EMS crews were waiting for them. There were no serious injuries.
A Coast Guard cutter is now securing the burned boat, while Marine Safety Officers investigate to find out what caused the fire.
Jim Bell, KUHF, Houston Public Radio News.