MARBLEHEAD – Two men were hospitalized Thursday after a boat fire in Marblehead Harbor near the Eastern Yacht Club.According to Chief Jason R. Gilliland, the two men, a 60-year-old and 80-year-old, were on a 45-foot sailboat. They suffered burns and other substantial injuries, he said.?I don?t know the extent of the burns,” Gilliland said Thursday night, “But I do know it was to their faces and parts of their hands. They also suffered lacerations, shoulder dislocation and eye injury.”Gilliland said they were both transported by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital. He did not release their names, pending notification next of kin.The fire broke out at 5:30 p.m. with heavy smoke showing. Firefighters extinguished it within 10 minutes, by 5:40 p.m.?It was out pretty quickly,” he said.Officers, firefighters, Atlantic Ambulance paramedics, U.S. Coast Guard, Salem harbormasters and Beverly fire rescue boat provided help at the scene, Gilliland said.A launch from the Eastern Yacht Club rescued one of the injured men and took him to State Street landing to meet an ambulance, he added.?The boarding of Eastern Yacht Club, which was 200 yards away, actually pulled him off and helped him to get off the boat,” Gilliland said.The fire remains under investigation. The boat was towed back to shore.Sailors were advised to avoid the area and motorists were told to avoid the area of State Street landing.
