BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Firefighter falls at...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Firefighter falls at scene of house fire

Amid thick black smoke from a structure fire, firefighter and

paramedic Ed Wick fell from an atrium window to the first floor of

the house in Newport Beach on Sunday morning.

“Thankfully, he is in stable condition, and his injuries are

minor,” said Donna Boston, public information officer. “It is very

worrisome when you hear a firefighter is down on a call.”

The call of a fire at a house undergoing extensive remodeling at

169 Shorecliff Road came in at 7:17 a.m. Firefighters saw black smoke

billowing from the second floor and set out to make sure no one was

inside, Boston said.

Wick fell from the top window of a vaulted ceiling and was rushed

to the Western Medical Trauma Center in Santa Ana, Boston said. There

were no other injuries. Twenty-one firefighters had the fire under

control within 45 minutes, Boston said.

The cause of the fire in the vacant house is under investigation,

but it appears to have been accidental, she said. The damage estimate

was $100,000 to $200,000.