Two-alarm Costa Mesa fire guts bedroom

Deepa Bharath

Howard James was shocked to see his neighbor come running toward

his home Friday night.

The Fordham Drive resident said his neighbor one house down

screamed: “My house is on fire! Call 911!”

Flames shot out of the bedroom from that house in the 2500 block

of Fordham Drive when firefighters arrived at about 9 p.m. Friday. No

one was left inside the two-alarm fire, but the fire completely

damaged a bedroom and caused extensive smoke damage to the entire

house, officials said.

Costa Mesa Fire Investigator Sean Brosamer said the woman tried to

put out the fire with an extinguisher and a bucket of water, but it

got out of hand.

“So she went over to the neighbors and called 911,” Brosamer said.

It took 38 firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish the fire,

said Battalion Chief Keith Fujimoto. The front lawn and a few plants

were blackened by the fire. The bedroom was gutted and charred

remains formed a mushy layer in the front yard.

James said he looked out and saw the flames as he followed his

neighbor.

“It was a lot of fire on that house,” he said.

Neighbor Pat Durbin said she heard the fire engines and came out.

“I saw the flames flare up as I walked up here,” she said. “I was

just concerned no one was hurt.”

Gordon Weaver, a South Costa Mesa resident, said he saw the fire

as he was driving.

“I thought one of the car dealerships was on fire,” he said. “But

when I came closer, I realized it’s a home. I can’t believe it.”

As of Saturday evening, officials still had not estimated the cost

of damage nor determined the cause of the fire.