Ruben Ampon won't soon forget the first day on his new job.

Forty minutes into what was scheduled to be a 20-day commercial fishing trip from Honolulu yesterday afternoon, Ampon smelled smoke and saw flames coming from the boat, then jumped overboard with four other crew members two miles off Diamond Head.

All five, clinging to a single fishing buoy, were rescued by a boat from the Outrigger Canoe Club a short time later.

"At first, we tried to stop the fire, but couldn't," Ampon said, still wringing water from his orange T-shirt shortly after making it to shore at Sans Souci Beach about 4 p.m. "Of course we jumped. If not, we were all going to die."

Fire Department officials said the 46-foot fishing boat was destroyed by the fire, which could be seen by residents from Hawai'i Kai to Waikiki. The Coast Guard was coordinating salvage efforts last night.

The drama began about 3 p.m. yesterday when fire officials began receiving calls about a burning boat off Diamond Head, said Capt. Frank Johnson.

The department sent a helicopter, fire boat and rescue unit to the scene, but the men were picked up by several members of the Outrigger Canoe Club, who had jumped into their own boat and sped to the scene after seeing the fire from shore, Johnson said.

All five men were brought to shore, examined in a waiting ambulance and then walked away. The captain of the boat and three other crew members declined to talk as they headed down Kalakaua Avenue in their wet clothes.

Ampon, 46, said he had just joined the crew this week for a scheduled trip out of Kewalo Basin to fish for 'ahi. He identified the ship as the Leilani and said the destination was to be determined after the trip was under way.

Less than an hour after the ship left port, however, the fire broke out. Ampon said he and the others tried to use ocean water to put out the flames, but when that proved inadequate, the captain told everybody to jump over the side.

While they waited for help, crew members could see the fire spreading on the ship, he said. "After 20, 30 minutes, someone came and picked us up," he said.

Johnson, who could not confirm the name of the boat, said none of the men was injured.

The fire and rescue could be seen by hundreds of people along Waikiki's beachfront.

Coast Guard officials said early last night that the fire was continuing to burn below decks and was being fought by the Moku Ahi, the Honolulu Fire Department's fireboat.

Once the fire was extinguished, Coast Guard officials planned to evaluate the situation and determine the best way to clear the ship from the water, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Ampon, who said he had been fishing for a living for at least six years, was looking for a ride back to Kewalo Basin.

"I was scared, yeah," he said. "Thank you everybody who helped."

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.