Lifeguard honored for block-fire heroism

When Newport Beach Lifeguard Officer Mike Halphide saw smoke coming from Original Pizza on the Balboa Peninsula at 6:45 a.m. the morning of Nov. 30 last year, he thought it was too early for the restaurant to be baking pizza.

Halphide got closer and, realizing the smoke was coming from the apartments above the restaurant, called 911. Halphide, a lifeguard officer with marine-fire training, immediately began knocking on doors to get apartment residents awake and out of the building.

“I deal with emergencies, but this was a very different type of emergency,” Halphide said.

Halphide would not know it at the time, but his heroic efforts that day would result in him being honored Friday with an Orange County Emergency Medical Services award for Courage Under Fire.

If Halphide hadn’t been there early that morning, a fire that left one man dead could have resulted in much more loss of life and property damage, officials said.

The hallway of the upstairs apartments was filled with smoke and Halphide knew the people inside needed to get out fast. Dressed in his lifeguard swim trunks, polo shirt and tennis shoes, Halphide wasn’t prepared to go into a fire.

The smoke was coming from behind a door at the top of the stairs and when Halphide touched the door, he could feel the heat of the fire behind it.

“You could just feel from the door how hot it was,” Halphide said.

Several onlookers wanted to open the door, but Halphide knew that could be a dangerous choice. From his training, Halphide knew that opening the door could spread the fire.

Once everyone was out of the building, Halphide provided a radio update to the dispatcher. It only took a few minutes before fire crews were on scene, but it felt like much longer, Halphide said.

Responding firefighters could not save the man inside the apartment, which was now engulfed in flames. Newport Beach resident William Rockwood was found unconscious and was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Fire investigators determined the fire was caused by candles burning near combustible materials.

No one else was hurt in the fire.

The award came as a surprise to Halphide.

“It’s very flattering and a little humbling,” Halphide said, of hearing the heroic stories of his fellow award winners.

Newport Beach Lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner nominated Halphide for award.

“It was an exceptional effort using the training he had,” Turner said.

For Halphide, the award isn’t just a recognition for his individual service, but for the entire community of emergency responders.

“You’re just the person out in front at that point,” Halphide said.

When a fire is contained inside one room, opening a door and introducing oxygen can allow the flames to roll out and the fire to spread, said Newport Beach Fire Battalion Chief Dave Mais.

Firefighters approach a contained fire carefully, and only with a hose line ready to go, Mais said.

“But a civilian ? if they do open that door and if they leave it open, what was an apartment fire could be an apartment complex fire,” Mais said.