A DAD and his two children were rescued after a boat caught fire and sunk in Poole Harbour.

Emergency services were called shortly after 6pm yesterday evening, May 7, to a report of a rib on fire near to Russell Quay.

There were three people on board the boat, a dad and his two children.

Bournemouth Echo: Boat on fire in Poole Harbour.

An engine and the Unimog from Wareham Fire Station, an engine from Poole Fire Station, the coastguard and the RNLI responded to the call.

The RNLI Atlantic lifeboat, from Poole lifeboat station, arrived on the scene to find the vessel on fire on the way up to the Wareham Channel, at the back of Poole Harbour.

The crew found that the people on the boat had managed to get to safety on the mud at Russell Quay.

Bournemouth Echo: RNLI crew member on the mud to check that the people were safe.

They were safe, albeit shaken, covered in mud, wet and cold.

The crew member from the lifeboat carried the two children over the mud to the lifeboat, with their dad following.

They were evacuated and taken back to the lifeboat station to get warm and put on some dry clothes.

Bournemouth Echo: Burnt out boat in Poole Harbour.

There was nothing that could be done to salvage the vessel, as it burnt down to the water line and sunk.

A Poole Harbour Commissioner’s boat was on the scene too, to check there was no pollution in the water, but they found the fire was so intense it had burnt everything off.

The stop message was received 6.51pm.