Wednesday fire causes $20,000 in damage

A fire that broke out in the living room of an Eastside home

Wednesday evening caused about $20,000 in damages and led to the

arrest of one of its residents for an outstanding warrant, officials

said.

The fire started because somebody used gasoline to light a fire in

the fireplace, Costa Mesa Fire Training Officer Kirk Dominic said.

The fire quickly spread throughout the living room of the

single-story home, forcing the three occupants -- two women and a man

-- to flee out the back door, he said. Firefighters initially

believed there were people trapped inside the house. It took 24

firefighters less than 10 minutes to put out the fire.

Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney said Albert R. Silva, 53, was

arrested on an outstanding traffic warrant.

-- Deepa Bharath