Crew of two survive yacht fire and explosionTwo people and their dog had a very lucky escape last October when a fire and explosion ripped through their 27ft yacht.

Whitstable's Atlantic 21 was searching within 100 yards of the casualty when she exploded, showering the area with debris.

The yacht's crew had been out fishing on the evening of 12 October when a fire broke out as they tried to re-start the engine and could not be brought under control.

With them was crew Natasha Hall's four-year-old dog Billie, who was wearing his own special lifejacket.

With the vessel ablaze from stem to stern Natasha and the yachts' skipper had no alternative but to go overboard, throwing Billie into the water at the same time.

Whitstable lifeboat was launched at 1920 and arrived on the scene, only some four miles from the station, soon afterwards to search for the survivors.

The skipper had already been picked up by another yacht but in the darkness, with the smoke and fumes from the burning yacht making life even more difficult, Natasha could not be seen.

A rescue helicopter and the lifeboat began their search, using searchlights and night vision equipment and both were very close to the blazing yacht when, at 1933, she exploded showering them with debris.

The helicopter was in the process of winching up the skipper from the yacht which had rescued him at the time of the blast, which was believed to have been caused by a gas bottle.

Almost immediately afterwards Natasha was spotted at the low water mark close to the shore, and two of the lifeboat's crew were able to wade ashore and help her aboard the Atlantic.

She was taken back to the boathouse, and then on to hospital for a check-up, while the skipper who was still aboard the helicopter was flown there.

The lifeboat was back at her station landing the survivor by 2000, but at 2016 she launched again, to search for the missing Billie.

Despite firing paraf lares to illuminate the area and searching for half-an-hour there was no sign of Billie.

So after marking the position of the wreck, which had burned to the waterline and sunk, the Atlantic returned to the lifeboat station.

However Billie's lifejacket, and a little luck, saw her through. Friends organised a search party, and more than six hours after the accident, they were delighted to see the reflection of her eyes in their torches. She had been washed ashore on the beach more than a mile-and-a-half from the scene and, although exhausted, was alive and well..