South Florida

Missing woman presumed dead after yacht fire in the Florida Keys

The blaze that destroyed a 70-foot Viking yacht is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

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A woman is presumed dead following an early-morning fire on a yacht in the Florida Keys, officials said.

The fire erupted on the 70-foot yacht just after midnight Wednesday on Stock Island.

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The missing woman has since been identified as 51-year-old Linda Vella, of St. Petersberg.

Vella's husband and son -- Michael Kenneth Robson, 58, and Anthony Joseph Vella, 21, were also on the yacht and were both airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where their conditions were unknown.

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The family was visiting the Florida Keys for lobster mini-season, Monroe County Sheriff's Office officials said.

Another family of four was also on the vessel, but escaped uninjured.

The boat was fully engulfed when fire rescue crews arrived -- before they battled the blaze for approximately three hours, the sheriff's office added.

The yacht was completely destroyed.

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