Lobster boat engulfed in flames at Buckminster Ledge

Tyler Robbins was out on routine trip when his engine caught fire

The Stonington Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard and Maine Marine Patrol responded to the emergency. Responders worked for over six hours to put the fire out. Photo courtesy of Stonington Fire Department.

July 1, 2026

By Jessi Hardy

STONINGTON—A routine fishing trip took a drastic turn for Tyler Robbins on July 29 when his boat, the F/V Yes Deah, erupted in flames near Buckminster Ledge.

After stopping to pick up bait for his lobster traps, Robbins left Webb's Cove and went to haul. As he rounded the corner of Buckminster Ledge, the boat’s engine made an unusual noise.

“It went ‘knock, knock, knock, boom’ and the whole down forward filled with smoke. There was a fire underneath the engine,” Robbins said. “Within a few minutes, the whole thing was fully engulfed.”

Robbins said he had experienced motor vehicle engines blowing but nothing as serious as the fire. He said he believes “the engine threw a rod” and caught fire when the rod went through the engine’s base pan. Robbins recognized the severity of the situation immediately and responded quickly–he radioed for help, called his fiancee, and jumped overboard. 

‘Within a few minutes, the whole thing was fully engulfed,’ Robbins said. Photo courtesy of Stonington Fire Department.

“I started treading water and then after a few minutes of treading water, a kayaker actually came out from where the ledges were and let me hang on to his kayak. And then within a few minutes, my buddy Christian Smit came over in his boat,” Robbins said. “He came over and grabbed me and then that's where they basically transferred me from hanging onto this guy's kayak to [Smit’s] boat.”

Stonington fire chief Steve Rittmeyer said his team received the call shortly after 1:00 p.m. Initial reports suggested that people were in the water, and Rittmeyer said that the department’s first priority was determining who was aboard and if they were accounted for. 

“The first priority was making sure that we got the people safe that had gone in the water,” Rittmeyer said. 

Once emergency responders confirmed that Robbins was the only person involved in the incident–and that he had been rescued–they turned their attention to the boat. 

The U.S. Coast Guard and Maine Marine Patrol also responded to the fire. Extinguishing the fire presented unique challenges: The site was inaccessible to fire trucks. Working with the Coast Guard, Rittmeyer arranged for a portable pump to be brought to the vessel by dinghy. Firefighters battled the blaze in full turnout gear and air packs to protect themselves from the toxic fumes of burning resin and fiberglass. The fiberglass acted as insulation, Rittmeyer said, allowing the fire to smolder underneath and making it exceptionally difficult to fully extinguish.

Ultimately, responders worked for over six hours to put the fire out.

The boat’s fiberglass hull made the fire ‘exceptionally difficult’ to extinguish, Stonington fire chief Steve Rittmeyer said. Photo courtesy of Stonington Fire Department.

The fire on Monday followed a string of challenges for Robbins. Built in 1986, the homemade lobster boat was converted from a burned-out Chris-Craft that had previously caught fire. Because of that history, the vessel was uninsurable. It has also needed several repairs in recent weeks. Robbins said that he lost his steering hose off Sheep Island last week and had to be towed in. Just days before the fire, a bilge pump failed, leaving two inches of water just below the engine. The setbacks have been particularly difficult for Robbins, who is in his first year fishing on his own.

As devastating as the loss of the vessel is, Robbins’ family is relieved that it wasn’t worse. Sabrina Fitzgerald, Robbins’ fiancee, said that she had planned to go out with him that afternoon but changed her plans “at the last minute.” She was also relieved that their children were not aboard.

“I don't know what the hell we would have done if they were on there,” Fitzgerald said. “What do you do with a two year old and a four year old?”

The F/V Yes Deah was declared a total loss but Robbins said at least his boat had “a Viking funeral.”