2 rescued from boat fire at Mackay Reservoir

MACKAY, Idaho (KIFI) - Two people were able to escape a boat that caught on fire at the Mackay Reservoir on Friday evening.

The boat was a 1968 cabin cruiser that belonged to John Matthews of Blackfoot.

Matthews and his friend Carrie Penoyer had planned to sail their boat across the water, anchor, and spend the night onboard

They were idling when Matthews heard a loud explosion and saw the engine compartment had been blown off the boat into the water. 

Matthews tried to extinguish the fire, but the boat soon became engulfed in flames. 

Both Matthews and Penoyer jumped into the reservoir to escape the flames.

There wasn’t time to get to lifejackets, so they used a type of throwable to stay afloat. 

David King, along with his brothers, Sam King, and Jeff Evans, were just coming out onto the reservoir when they saw the explosion. 

They headed to the pair at full speed, grabbed them by their arms, and quickly backed away from the fire before helping them into the boat.

“David King and the two people with him, they definitely saved these two people's lives,” said Custer County Sheriff Deputy Haugh.

“The water was in the low 50s or high 50s. Low 60s range. It was windy. They were well offshore. He (Matthews) said they never would have made it to shore. But luckily for them, David King and his brother and friend were out there, rescued them, and took them to shore. It was they who saved their lives.”

DiAnn Moir shared a video of the boat fully engulfed in flames.