Cause of blaze that destroyed Newport Beach trailer homes inconclusive, report says

Nearly two months after a fire burned through three homes in a Newport Beach trailer park, the residents displaced are still uncertain of their next steps.

On Aug. 16, the Newport Beach Fire Department responded to calls about a fire at about 9:35 a.m. from an unnamed resident who spotted gray smoke coming up from one of the spaces in the Beach/Bay Mobile Home Port at 7204 West Coast Hwy. The witness said she did not see flames, according to a report on the incident prepared by fire investigators.

By 10:08 a.m., the fire was extinguished by firefighters, according to the report. No injuries were reported, but three of the homes were significantly damaged and displaced all three households.

The report, which was approved on Sept. 20, stated that the cause of the fire was undetermined, though the now displaced residents believe it may have originated from electrical outlets.

Gray smoke plumes up, right, at the Beach/Bay Mobile Home Port on Aug. 16, the day of the fire.

(Courtesy of Kenneth Mullinix)

Fire investigators noted in their report that electricity was provided to the site through a central point to the rear of the spaces, with two sites sharing one electrical pedestal.

Regardless of what may have started the destructive fire, several former residents continue to struggle to find an affordable permanent place to stay or even the means to haul away the wreckage of the trailers they called home.

Michelle Martin and her mother, Lynn Scherer, are still residing at a friend’s home, where Martin said she’s been paying $2,200 in rent. She is struggling to find a home with enough room to take care of her mother, but rates have been either exorbitantly high or the property managers haven’t called her back.

Her friend, Natasha Beavin, said so far they’ve only been able to raise $3,400 on the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform for Martin and Scherer of the $300,000 goal to get them back on their feet.

Gilbert Vasquez said the trailer he lost in the fire wasn’t intended for his use but for his brother. Vasquez, still a resident at the park in an RV undamaged by the fire, said in a recent interview he’d been holding the second space for his sibling, who will soon be coming from Dubai. But now, with that trailer gone and the wreckage still remaining, Vasquez is on the hook for finding a licensed contractor to do the necessary work. At this point, it looks like his brother will have to room with him.

“We know that with an RV ... if I add more people, it’s going to be crowded,” Vasquez said. “My mom is there. She’s a senior, and when my brother comes, I’m going to have to buy an RV and replace it or double that,” Vasquez said. “That’s my struggle right now.”

An independent contractor that has done work for the park said that, for legal reasons, the park is not permitted to remove the wreckage itself and cannot allow residents to do the work themselves because of potential liabilities. But, as Vasquez, Martin and fellow fire victim Tim Wetzel pointed out, that leaves victims forced to pay for the work.

Vasquez said that, at least from what he’s learned so far, hiring a licensed contractor will put him out at a minimum of $5,000 he doesn’t have.

Vasquez gave up his Blue Nose pit bull puppy, Star, because of the lack of space. Neighbor Devyn Ascher has been fostering her for the time being, but Ascher is looking for someone to adopt her. Star has now received her puppy shots but has not yet been spayed, as she is too young.

Star, a Blue Nose pit bull that’s about 7 months old, is currently being cared for by a neighbor as her owner is now unable to care for her due to the limited space in his RV.

(Courtesy of Devyn Ascher)

Ascher is hopeful a family will be able to take her home, preferably one that will allow Star to sleep inside and have a yard to play in. Interested readers can contact her at adoptstarbaby@gmail.com.

Wetzel said he was living at the park for the last five years. After the fire destroyed his home he stayed at a place that his sister owned for a few weeks before moving into a room in Huntington Beach, where he currently remains. If Wetzel could have his way, he said, “I’ll never go back to that trailer park as long as I live.”

Wetzel, 65, said he lost almost everything he owned in the fire. He’d been at work at the time it broke out and lost keepsakes from his father and uncle.

A representative of Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley has expressed the supervisor’s office is prepared and able to provide assistance to those affected by the fires but that as of Thursday, none had reached out for that help.

Some of the interior damage that made the trailer uninhabitable for Michelle Martin and her mother, Lynn.

(Courtesy of Natasha Beavin)