San Diego

Coast Guard and Navy rescue crews were searching in vain late Monday for any signs of survivors of a large pleasure boat that caught fire and sank about 10 miles northwest of the Mission Bay entrance.

The 25-foot pleasure craft, which reportedly could accommodate up to 2 dozen people, was seen engulfed in smoke and flames at about 1 p.m. by several witnesses on land, who notified the Coast Guard.

Seven hours later, Coast Guard patrol boats and a helicopter were still searching, but rescue crews were unable to locate any survivors. No people had been seen on the boat before it sank.

“We never knew if anyone was on board,” said Petty Officer Bennie Taylor of the Coast Guard. “We never found any traces of anybody.”

The identity of the boat was unclear because the only recognizable letters marking the boat were P-ONI--S. The boat had been equipped with a swimming platform and a long bowsprit.

Taylor said the fire apparently began in the bow, which was totally engulfed when rescue crews reached the burning craft. But the fire was moving toward the stern, he said, and the boat soon burned to the waterline and sank. Shortly afterward, fuel tanks rose to the surface, and that was the last sign of the boat.

As darkness settled over the water, the rescue crews were still unable to find any survivors.

“It could have accommodated quite a number of people,” Taylor said. “I’ve seen different boats of this kind carry all sorts of people.

The search was called off after dark but was expected to continue today.

But Lt. Bill Mello of the Coast Guard said even a daylight search might be fruitless. “It didn’t look like there were any people around,” he said.