Officials:

A Wednesday night brush fire in a Costa Mesa park frequented by transients may have been caused by an illegal campfire, Costa Mesa fire officials said Thursday.

Just before 9 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters rushed to Talbert Regional Park on West 19th Street to put out a fire in the bluffs area.

For more than an hour, firefighters cut and bulldozed through the thick park brush to the fire’s origin, said Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Bill Kershaw. About an acre of land was burned.

Nearly 50 firefighters, a bulldozer, a water tender and five engines worked with Costa Mesa police, who were helping with surveillance from the air, Kershaw said.

Authorities did not find anyone in the area, and no firefighters were injured.

— Joseph Serna