Firefighters Rescue Laguna Niguel Man From Burning Apartment

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — A man was rescued from a burning apartment in Laguna Niguel Monday morning with the help of a new device used by the Orange County Fire Authority firefighters.

The OCFA received a 911 call of reported smoke in a two-story apartment complex at the corner of Pearl and Crystal Cay at around 2:15 a.m. early Monday morning.

Firefighters used new, hand-held personal thermal imaging cameras to locate the sleeping man in a room not burning, the OCFA said. The device resembles a cellphone and is worn on each firefighter's turnout coat.

The man was rescued from the apartment and soon taken to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries, the OCFA said. Firefighters quickly doused the apartment fire and investigators determined the cause of fire to be improper disposal of smoking material.

City News Service contributed to this report.