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NEED TO KNOW
- The Sullivan family was rescued on Naushon Island on Wednesday, Oct. 22
- Volunteers from Naushon Trust, which owns the island, found them and administered first aid, and the Coast Guard flew the family to a local hospital
- The family was forced to swim ashore when their boat caught on fire while they slept
A family was rescued from a small island off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass. after they swam ashore when their boat caught on fire.
The family of three was rescued and hospitalized on Wednesday, Oct. 22 after they were found on Naushon Island, per the United States Coast Guard. Volunteers from the Naushon Trust, the organization that owns the island, located the family and administered emergency first aid.
The Sullivans were missing for almost two days, and had taken shelter in a barn on the island. The Coast Guard later transported the family from the island to a nearby hospital, local ABC affiliate WCVB reported.
Two of the family members, Cynthia and Tyler Sullivan, are being treated at Cape Cod Hospital. Patrick Sullivan, Cynthia’s husband and Tyler’s father, was flown to the burn unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Tyler sustained third-degree burns on his arm, but remains in stable condition, according to the news station.
When they were rescued, the family suffered from smoke inhalation, burns, and exposure, Hyannis Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Lamothe told the Cape Cod Times.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Hyannis Fire Department for comment.
When their 30-foot boat caught fire, the Sullivans were forced to swim to shore for safety, according to ABC News. A relative contacted authorities when the family did not return home as planned on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 21.
“Quick thinking and having quality equipment allowed the family to survive and call for help,” Scott Backholm, a search and rescue mission coordinator from Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England said in a statement, per ABC.
PEOPLE has reached out to the United States Coast Guard for comment.
USCG Northeast/X
The Coast Guard told the outlet that the family had planned to remain anchored between Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard throughout the weekend. Their boat, the Third Wave, departed Eel Pond near Falmouth, Mass. on Oct. 17.
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Naushon Island is the largest of the Elizabeth Islands chain, which sits between Buzzards Bay and Martha’s Vineyard. Though a functioning part of the town of Gosnold, the island is privately owned with only certain areas accessible to the public, per The Globe.
