Costa Mesa blaze destroys one room; no one is hurt

A residential fire Sunday in Costa Mesa burned through one room but otherwise caused no injuries, authorities said.

Around 1:24 p.m. neighbors called Costa Mesa Fire and reported flames on the second floor of the home in the 300 block of Reims Lane, Battalion Chief Kirk Dominic said. The residents were not at home during the fire, and their two pets — a cat and dog — were rescued by neighbors.

Firefighters extinguished the fire in under 15 minutes, Dominic said.

Dave and Sandra Kiser, whose condo abuts the burned home, were heading back from South Coast Plaza when they noticed smoke near their neighborhood.

“My wife said ‘Oh, that looks like where we live,’ and I said, ‘Nah, those things always look closer than they are,’” Kiser said. “But sure enough as we got closer it was right on top of our home.”

The Kiser’s home sustained no damage. Fire investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire. It has not been determined whether the home had operating smoke detectors, Dominic said.

— Kelly Strodl