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CARLSBAD, Calif. — A 50-foot boat caught fire off the coast of Carlsbad Thursday and eventually sunk, prompting an hours-long U.S. Coast Guard search, though no victims were initially found.

Photo and video from the shoreline showed a plume of smoke rising over the ocean around 9 a.m.

Two Coast Guard cutters, a helicopter and Encinitas lifeguards were sent out to the fire about seven miles off the coast, a Coast Guard spokesperson said. Oceanside Harbor Police and other local authorities also joined the emergency response.

By afternoon, authorities said they hadn’t found any sign of victims but were still doing search patterns and would remain in the area until midnight. Around 2:30 p.m. officials said the vessel had sunk.

It was identified as the privately owned “Relentless” out of Oceanside. The owner was believed to live aboard the vessel but it wasn’t initially clear who, if anyone, was on the boat when it first caught fire.