Man cheats death after 40ft boat bursts into flames

A man has been forced to jump overboard after his 40ft boat caught fire off the Gold Coast in Australia.

The man suffered first and second degree burns to his hands, feet, and face after his sailing boat burst into flames, reports the Courier Mail.

Smoke could be see billowing into the air from the shore, around 5km off Burleigh.

The fire ripped through the boat in a matter of minutes, and the man was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital after jumping overboard.

A 60yo man has suffered first and second degree burns after his yacht caught on fire. Details at 6pm. @7NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/dqhDbxECfv
- Natasha Squarey (@NatashaSquarey) February 1, 2015

Emergency services received a call at around 11.30am on Sunday, and arrived to find thick black smoke pouring from the boat.

According to the Daily Mail, the 60-year-old man was fishing by himself when he noticed a fire has started in the engine room, which then exploded.

He jumped into the ocean before being rescued by a nearby fisherman and taken to another boat where a doctor on board treated before paramedics arrived.

The boat was burnt to the waterline and will likely sink.