BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Heater believed to have caused blaze

Residents of an eight-unit apartment building on Cliff Drive were evacuated early Thursday when a lower unit burst into flames, Laguna Beach Fire Chief Mike Macey said.

The fire was put out in about half an hour and the evacuated residents returned to their homes. No one was home in the unit that was burning.

Firefighters — including members of the Laguna Beach and Newport Beach Fire Departments — responded to a report of smoke at 12:29 a.m. from a resident above the apartment at 462 Cliff Drive. A total of 16 firefighters controlled the fire in about 27 minutes.

All apartments, except the involved unit, were permitted to be reoccupied after the fire was fully extinguished. No injuries were reported.

The estimated loss is approximately $30,000 for contents and $150,000 for the structure, Macey said.

The cause of the fire was determined to be combustible furnishings placed too close to a fixed heating unit.

“Every year, the Laguna Beach Fire Department responds to several fires that result from people unintentionally locating combustibles too close to heating units and vents,” Macey said.

These fires occur most frequently when residents turn on their thermostat for the first time after a period of nonuse.

Police investigate labor center attack

Laguna Beach police have not given up investigating a violent Sept. 17 incident at the Day Labor Center on Laguna Canyon Road in an effort to make a case against two suspects, Det. Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

“We conducted interviews this week,” Lenyi said. “We are investigating every avenue.”

Two men arrested shortly after the incident on suspicion of attempted murder and a hate crime were released two days later by prosecutors with no charges filed due to lack of evidence.

During the incident, two workers were assaulted and two others struck by a vehicle that sped through the labor center.

The suspects allegedly shouted racial epithets during the attack, police said.

Police are dispelling allegations that the suspects were involved in the Minutemen Project, which has protested against illegal immigrants at the labor center, including one held last month.

“There is no evidence of that, and we do not suspect the guys were Minutemen,” Lenyi said.

Man arrested on suspicion of lewd act

A Utah family’s Thanksgiving vacation was marred when a man allegedly groped and threatened his 12-year-old stepdaughter at a Laguna Beach hotel, Laguna Beach Police Det. Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

Alan J. Beck, 49, of Salt Lake City, was arrested around noon on Nov. 23 and held on $100,000 bail at Orange County Jail.

The suspect is estranged from his family, who live in Orem, Utah, and had met them in Laguna, where they were vacationing, Lenyi said.

After visiting a bar, Beck went to the hotel room in which his children were sleeping at about 10 p.m. Nov. 22, and woke up the victim, allegedly asking her to remove her top and fondling her while her sister slept in the same bed, Lenyi said. The children’s mother was not present.

The victim refused to comply and Beck left the room, then returned and tried to pick the victim up off the bed, waking her sister up.

Beck then allegedly placed his hands around the victim’s neck and threatened to kill her if she told anyone what had happened.

When the victim’s mother returned, the victim reported the alleged abuse, and Beck was arrested the next day.