Gallery needs a new home after fire

Deepa Bharath

Bradford Salamon is afraid to look under the mound of rubble in his

studio.

His lithographs, archives and life’s works are in the studio on

Old Newport Boulevard that a late Saturday night fire ravaged and

that, officials say, caused $50,000 in damages.

But fortunately for Salamon and for Jamie Wilson, who owns Square

Blue Art Inc., a gallery adjoining Salamon’s studio, Newport Beach

firefighters acted quickly, and the fire, which could have resulted

in a far greater loss, was snuffed out quickly.

The blaze began shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday. Firefighters

responding to the call saw 15- to 20-foot flames shooting up from the

roof of the structure, Fire Department spokeswoman Donna Boston said.

The fire had spread up the outside wall of the two-story building

on to the roof and into the attic, she said. Fighting the fire was

also complicated by the wood shingle roof and by the common attic

space, Boston said.

“That’s why the fire had a lot of potential to spread and become a

major fire,” she said.

Boston said firefighters not only doused the flames with water but

identified hot spots in the structure, using thermal imagery to find

and extinguish fires that were still burning in the inner walls, but

not visible.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, she said.

Wilson said she is thankful that her building suffered only smoke

damage. All her paintings were affected by the smoke, but can be

salvaged, she said.

“The works that were on display are irreplaceable because the

artists are deceased,” she said.

Wilson, who rents the space, said she would have to move her

gallery elsewhere.

“I’d love to stay either in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa,” she

said. “This area has a certain funkiness to it that is desirable for

me.”