NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia – An off-duty firefighter helped rescue six men from the water near the James River Bridge on Sunday.

Jason Edwards, a 25-year Newport News Fire Department officer, was on his fishing boat with his father and a friend when the emergency began. He says about two minutes after they left the marina, he saw a boat billowing with thick smoke.

Watch: Boat fire sends plume of smoke into sky near James River Bridge

Boat fire sends smoke plume into the sky near James River Bridge

“To my left on the bridge were the six people. Three of them had life jackets on. One of them had a safety ring and they had worked their way up to the pilings, Edwards described.”

They managed to get the men on board. According to Edwards, two of them suffered severe burns.

“They were panicking. They were very grateful to see us. They were grateful to be able to get into the boat.”

Watch: Boat runs aground; maritime authorities talk about safety

Trouble on the waterways: Boat runs aground; maritime authorities talk about safety

The boat has been recovered and authorities are currently investigating to determine the cause of the fire.
Chief Wesley Rogers is proud but not surprised that Edwards took action.

“It shows how big the hearts of our first responders are,” Rogers said. “A lot of people would just watch and report what happened, but our first responders think, ‘Hey, I have to get out there. I have to help.’ And that’s exactly what he did. He walked right into the danger. Without him, we don’t know what would have happened, but those guys were lucky to have someone like him there at the right time.”

Edwards added: “I’ve been on the boat all my life, been on the water all my life, have owned several boats before and have never been in a situation like this where I’ve had to rescue someone into the boat.”