POLICE BRIEFS

A Huntington Beach toddler died last week after nearly drowning in a

backyard pool.

Chance Beidelman, 2, apparently entered the pool behind his home in

the 21000 block of Red Jacket Circle at about 11:39 a.m. May 23, while

his mother Shana Beidelman tended to another child in a separate room,

said Lt. Luis Ochoa of the Huntington Beach Police Department.

“She located the victim in the water and summoned help from neighbors,

and arriving officers performed CPR until paramedics arrived,” he added.

Chance was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, but died

later at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

Police said the family was in the process of moving into the Red

Jacket Circle home, and the tragic loss only highlights the need for pool

safety awareness and education.

Fire damages Surf City apartment

Flames tore through a Huntington Beach apartment last week, destroying

one unit and damaging two others in the two-story complex, before

firefighters were able to quell them.

Fire Battalion Chief Mick Terich said the blaze, which affected a

two-bedroom corner apartment on the second floor of the 7771 Mandrell

Drive complex, appeared to have started in one of the bedrooms at about 2

p.m. May 24, though investigators are still determining its exact cause.

Minor smoke and water damage were reported in two adjacent units, one

next door and the other below the apartment where the fire started,

officials said.

Mac O’Connell, a spokesman for the Huntington Beach Fire Department,

said no injuries were reported from residents or the 17 firefighters who

put out the blaze.