The Coast Guard yesterday reached the crew of the disabled Taiwanese fishing vessel Hou Chun and began providing medical care to the injured.

Coast Guard aircraft and the cutter Alex Haley were sent Monday after receiving an alert that the Hou Chun had caught fire and that the 28-member crew had abandoned ship about 900 miles southwest of Honolulu.

The cutter Alex Haley reached the crew's life rafts about 3 a.m. yesterday and treated two crew members who are reported to have suffered burns. The cutter will take the injured men to Christmas Island, Kiribati, from where they will be medically evacuated.

The cause of the fire remained unknown.