Briefly in the news

-- Paul Clinton

Newport Beach firefighters extinguished a fire on Monday that started

in a garage on Fernleaf Avenue in Corona del Mar.

Firefighters responded to a call at 3:11 p.m. saying that smoke was

billowing out of the garage.

Prior to dousing the flames, firefighters evacuated the surrounding

houses. The garages of the surrounding houses were doused with water to

prevent them from catching fire.

The fire, which burned the garage almost to the ground, was

extinguished within 20 minutes.

Sparks from the welding of a nearby plumbing pipe were determined to

have caused the blaze.