Car fire sends up brief alarm

A car fire rattled residents briefly Wednesday at an apartment

building in the 1800 block of Park Newport Drive.

The car parked in the underground structure at the Park Newport

apartment complex caught on fire about 3:20 p.m., said Newport Beach Fire

Battalion Chief Bill Bennett.

“It was a small fire that started in the dash area inside the car,” he

said. “The owner of the car and the security people had put it out even

before we got there.”

The inside of the car, however, was pretty badly damaged, Bennett

said. The parking garage was not damaged.

“We can only guess something was wrong with the wiring,” he said. “But

no one was injured, and it was accidental.”