Fire burns Newport Beach lifeguard tower

Vandals reportedly set fire to a lifeguard stand at Orange Street and

the beach Saturday afternoon, according to a Newport Beach police report.

A police officer responded to a call from a nearby liquor store

employee who initially noticed the fire about 2:50 p.m. When the officer

arrived at the scene, the lifeguard shack was engulfed in flames from the

platform up.

Newport Beach firefighters put out the flames. Newport Beach Fire

Capt. Chip Duncan said the door to the lifeguard shack was open and that

the fire originated from the inside on the floor. He said the cause of

the fire was unknown, but burning trash could be to blame.

Nobody was manning the post at the time of the fire.

A witness said he saw a dark color Range Rover with tinted windows

leave the scene when he noticed the fire. No further description of the

alleged vandals was available.