Smoke from the engine room forced the Seattle water taxi to return to its dock at West Seattle.
Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore says it had a large response before 8 a.m. Friday because of the reported boat fire.
Moore says the smoke was caused by wires touching a generator, but there was no fire. Firefighters did not use water or foam.
Moore says the water taxi crew did the right thing by returning to the dock and evacuating passengers.
The taxi carries passengers across Elliott Bay between West Seattle and the downtown waterfront.