Man starts fire at Costa Mesa police station, good Samaritan extinguishes it

The Costa Mesa Police Department temporarily closed its front lobby Wednesday morning, after a local man allegedly attempted to start a fire near the police station’s front doors, officials reported.

At approximately 1 a.m., a man placed traffic cones near the doorway and lit them on fire, police said. It is unknown how long the fire burned, but in a release issued Wednesday police officials said a nearby citizen saw the incident and rushed to help.

“A good Samaritan, who was driving by, used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire,” the release stated. “The police department’s fire alarm was triggered and alerted CMPD’s Watch Commander.”

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Fire outside the Costa Mesa police station on Wednesday.

Shortly after the incident, officers located the suspect — 32-year-old Claudio Benjamin Vicente of Costa Mesa — on nearby Newport Boulevard and arrested him for arson.

The front lobby of the Costa Mesa station was temporarily closed Wednesday morning and blocked off to visitors with yellow caution tape. Police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad confirmed in a message that by 10 a.m. the lobby had been reopened.

“A crew is still cleaning up but doors are open,” Fyad said, adding that the cones used to start the fire had been placed in front of the station to limit visitors and ensure social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Crime scene investigators processed the scene, and the incident is under investigation. By 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, officers attempting to identify the man who extinguished the blaze had located the individual and thanked him on social media but would not release his name.

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