Firefighters extinguish 2-alarm blaze at Metro Pointe’s Old Navy

Dozens of firefighters doused flames inside a wall of an Old Navy clothing store at Metro Pointe shopping center in Costa Mesa on Thursday morning, authorities said.

Crews from the Costa Mesa Fire Department arrived shortly before 9 a.m. and upgraded the fire to two alarms, triggering a larger response to the center at 901 South Coast Drive.

The fire didn’t produce much noticeable smoke or large flames because it was inside the wall and a parapet on the roof, Deputy Fire Chief Fred Seguin said. But because of its location, the blaze required extra manpower to put it out and clean up afterward, Seguin said.

“The thing about wall fires is they stay on the inside and burn,” he said.

Thirty-six firefighters from Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Newport Beach and the Orange County Fire Authority responded, according to fire officials.

Crews knocked down the blaze by 9:45 a.m., the Costa Mesa Fire Department said.

An electrical malfunction sparked the blaze, which caused about $15,000 in damage to the structure, according to fire officials.

An estimate of damage to the building’s contents wasn’t immediately available.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck