Holidays pose fire hazards

The Newport-Mesa area made it through the holiday weekend without any major flames despite the dry weather, but authorities caution locals that all fires pose dangers during this dry season.

Newport Beach firefighters handled calls for two small candle fires and a few turkey-in-oven issues since Thursday. All were extinguished and no one was injured, Battalion Chief Ralph Restadius said.

The first candle fire started in the 200 block of Amethyst Avenue on Thanksgiving Day when a candle burned all the way down and ignited a table, Restadius said.

The second happened Saturday near the 100 block of Sidra Cove when a candle ignited decorations nearby.

Authorities also received calls for a few turkey fires. In those cases, the best thing to do is leave the oven closed and call the Fire Department, Restadius said.

“Ovens are built to handle hot temperatures,” Restadius said. “Always monitor your candles.”

With the last few months being so dry and brush in the southern parts of the city, firefighters warn that what could start as a small in-home fire can quickly spread into a full-blown wildfire. During red flag warnings, Station No. 8 in the Newport Coast area staffs an extra firefighter as a precaution.

Station 8 crews keep a close watch on the Los Trancos area, the state park south of Newport Coast and Buck Gully, said Capt. Mike Ybarra.

When a brush fire breaks out firefighters move quickly to protect nearby structures.

“It just depends on the winds or the weather,” Ybarra said. “If we had strong Santa Ana winds that go into Buck Gully it could move quickly down into Corona del Mar.”

“We’ve been dealing with this low precipitation and all the fuels are very dry. It doesn’t take much of a wind to start something.”

In Costa Mesa, firefighters have one main area of concern during dry, windy weather in the bluffs overlooking the Santa Ana River.

“A lot of it’s protected game-area that can’t be cut away,” Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Scott Broussard said. “If something were to break out over there we’d just kind of make it up as we go.”

Authorities remind residents to keep fire extinguishers no more than 10 feet from the stove, and never leave anything cooking unattended. If you must leave the kitchen have someone else watch the food or turn it off.

For more fire safety tips during the holidays, contact your local fire departments. The Costa Mesa Fire Department can be reached at (714) 754-5106 and Newport Beach Fire Department at (949) 644-3106.

KELLY STRODL may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].