Sarasota family rescued from burning boat in Gulf of Mexico

A Sarasota family was rescued by a ferry Monday after their boat caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico.

A video posted on Facebook and captured by a passenger on the Key West Express ferry shows a family of three jumping from their 40-foot-boat that showed smoke billowing behind it as it began to sink.

The ferry, which travels from Fort Myers to the Keys and back, was closer to the boaters than the U.S. Coast Guard and helped rescue them, according to a NewsChannel 8 report.

The family held onto a buoy until it could be pulled onto the ferry by crew members, NewsChannel 8 reported.

No one was injured.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Sarasota family rescued from burning boat in Gulf of Mexico."