Florida father, son rescue family of 5 and their dog from sailboat fire

CBS News

15-07-2025

A family and their dog are safe thanks to the quick actions of a Jacksonville father and son who rescued them after their sailboat caught fire.
On Sunday, Michael Shillingford and his 8-year-old son Vincent enjoyed a day on the water near Julington Creek and the St. John's River. He said they were about to leave when his son saw something in the air.
"My son mentioned that there was a boat that was having a barbecue on the back," he said.
Jacksonville father and son race to the rescue
Little did he know, there was a fire on the boat with five people and their dog onboard.
"As I looked, I didn't quite see a barbecue, what I saw seemed like engine smoke and then shortly afterwards we saw fire coming from the stern of their boat," Shillingford said.
He and his son immediately rushed over to help.
"I could see the family was huddled up on the bow of their boat," Shillingford said.
As they got closer, Shillingford said he realized they had to keep their distance because the fire was spreading.
"So I threw out a stern line and the family with their life vests were able to jump in the water and grab the line and allow me to pull them away from the boat," he said.
Shillingford said every family member had a life jacket on and so did the dog.
A short time later, he said St. John County first responders arrived and put out the fire while making sure the family was safe.
"The real thanks that I have are to the family that was prepared and all the officials that were coming. You could hear the sirens, you could hear the helicopters, you knew that help was on the way," he said.
No injuries were reported and Florida Fish and Wildlife is investigating the cause of the fire.