Fire wrecks Newport home

NEWPORT BEACH -- In the aftermath of an early morning fire that engulfed his garage and guests houses, Sture Davidsson is just happy everyone is alive.

“We are still alive, and that is what is important,” he said as he walked through the kitchen of his $6.5-million home, which was burned and heavily damaged by water.

“It’s a total mess; we’re going to have to remodel half the house anyway,” Davidsson said, adding that getting a new kitchen may, in light of the destruction, make his wife happy.

The house in the 2900 block of Cliff Drive in Newport was red-tagged by the Newport Beach Fire Department, and foam used by firefighters still bubbled around a burnt and unrecognizable car, one of three destroyed by the fire. Davidsson was able to save his white Rolls Royce, however.

Forty-two firefighters from Newport, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, as well as Newport Beach police officers, responded to a call shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday. It appeared the fire started in an unattached garage and was threatening a neighbor’s home by the time fire officials were on the scene, said Jennifer Schulz, spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Fire Department.

The fire is still under investigation, but officials determined that it originated in the guest room above the garage, said Schulz, who estimated the house suffered about $500,000 in damage.

Because the house was declared unlivable, the Davidssons, their pets and the tenants who live in his guest houses ? including his son, who lived in the unit above the garage that was destroyed by the fire ? will not be able to live at the property until remodels are completed.

Davidsson’s son was not home at the time of the fire.

Hours after the fire, firefighters were still busy dousing the house to ensure it would not reignite and used thermal imagers to find any unseen hotspots.

The home had extensive copper roofing, which could harbor trouble areas, and there were still areas smoking.

Davidsson and his wife, Huong, are antique collectors, and were thankful the fire did not reach over to half of the main house, sparing the priceless collectibles.

Despite his losses, Davidsson remained in good spirits, sitting outside his home feeding his dog, joking about showering on his front lawn and shrugging the fire off, since everyone was safe.

“Life is too short to be unhappy,” he said outside his half-charred home. “It’s just material things anyway; I’ll just work hard ? anybody can do what I’ve done.”

About two months ago, Davidsson said a car hit the outside fence of the home, damaging three palm trees, and a few nights ago, the family lost a cat to coyotes.

“Maybe the fire started to get all the old demons out,” he said. “That’s how I look at it anyway.”