The Region - News from Sept. 8, 1985

Passing boaters rescued four people after their anchored motorboat caught fire in San Diego Bay south of the Coronado Cays. Police said the 16-foot Paradise, owned by Doug Steimle of Coronado, had been refueled minutes before it was engulfed in flames. Investigators suspect the fire began when the engine backfired, igniting gas fumes in the bilge. The Coronado Police Department’s patrol boat extinguished the fire within minutes after being called to the scene. Authorities said the boat was a total loss. It was impounded by the San Diego Harbor Police. Steimle and three sons who were with him were picked up by passing boaters and put ashore at Coronado Cays, police said.