Smoke Alarms Spare Newport Beach Family from Blaze

A Newport Beach family escaped injury when smoke alarms alerted them to a fire that had engulfed their home’s garage.

The call from the first block of Old Course Drive came into the Newport Beach Fire Department just before 11:30 p.m. Sunday night, said department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

“Residents were woken up by the sound of smoke alarms,” she said. “When the fire department arrived, they saw that the garage was fully engulfed by flames and might potentially spread to a neighbor’s house.”

The fire had already moved from the garage to the home’s attic.

Firefighters, including seven Newport Beach units and three from the Orange County Fire Authority for a total of 27 firefighters, were able to control the blaze in 30 minutes and put it out in less than an hour, Manzella said.

The garage was a total loss, sustaining about $500,000 in damage, she added,

The cause of the fire is under investigation.