Locals sent to battle deadly arson blaze

A team including 10 firefighters from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach fire departments on Friday helped battle a deadly arson wildfire in the San Jacinto Mountains. The blaze has killed four firefighters and critically burned a fifth.

The Newport-Mesa firefighters left just after 3 a.m. Friday to go to the Esperanza Fire, which triggered a smoke advisory in Orange and Riverside counties. Although the air in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa was deemed relatively safe, areas around Newport-Mesa were unhealthful, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Monitor the smells in the area, and if you’re going to exercise outside pay special attention to the way your body reacts, said Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Fred Seguin. He said it might be a good idea to exercise indoors or put it off.

“You will smell it, sometimes ashes will rain this far down from 70 or 80 miles away,” he said.

It’s important for people who are more susceptible to air-quality issues to stay inside when the air quality worsens, said Dr. Paul Selecky, a Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian pulmonologist. This includes children, babies and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma. Selecky suggested people who have air conditioners turn them on because they can double as an air filter.

Newport Mesa Unified School District issued an advisory to its schools, leaving decisions about keeping students inside to the principals, district spokeswoman Laura Boss said. All outdoor sports games were on as scheduled.

Like the firefighters who were killed and burned Thursday while trying to protect someone’s home, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach firefighters were assigned to structure protection and to assist hand crews to try to create a break line in the fire, said Newport Beach Battalion Chief Ralph Restadius.

“We enjoy going out there to fight fires, but the dreaded call comes like the one that happened yesterday with the four that died,” Costa Mesa Fire’s Seguin said Friday. “We all signed up for this job to go on fires, but when it comes to destruction of property and lives — and that’s what we’re out there trying to do, to keep that from occurring again.”

The departments are sent out on wild-land fires as part of Orange County’s strike team rotation. Local firefighters knew it was their turn this time, Seguin said.

“We’re trained for this stuff,” Seguin said. “Every year we train for the wild-land stuff, go over all the safety aspects … so when it comes time to be out there, you’re ready.”

The fire has reportedly engulfed about 24,000 acres and was only about 5% contained as of Friday evening. Costa Mesa and Newport Beach firefighters join about 1,750 others battling the blaze. Ten structures were destroyed and five homes were threatened Friday night, but no additional injuries have been reported, Riverside County Fire spokesman Cynthia Murcio said. Winds continued to blow at 15 to 25 mph.

“Hopefully the winds will die down,” Seguin said. “It’s traditionally windy through the pass there, and having a battle, that is normal for that area. And then to have the Santa Ana [winds] on top of it is a recipe for disaster.”

Costa Mesa Fire sent Capt. Kirk Dominic, along with Capt. Lenny Goodsir, engineer Anthony Mancillas, firefighters Mark Martinez and Mike Kreza from Station Four on Placentia Avenue.

Newport Beach Fire sent a team from its Newport Coast station, including Capt. Mike Ybarra, engineer Richard Ruffini, paramedic-firefighter Chris Brown and firefighter Grant Parsons.

The crews could be working anywhere from 12 to 24 hours straight fighting the fire, Restadius said. As of Friday evening, neither cities’ crews had called to give the battalion chiefs an update.

At least a $300,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist, Murcio said.