Cigarettes Spark Office Fire in Newport

A cigarette that was tossed in a trash can sparked an office building fire in Newport Beach on Sunday night, but no one was injured, a fire official said Monday.

Motorists reported the fire about 7:08 p.m. Sunday, saying they saw flames coming from the back of an office building in the 3100 block of West Coast Highway on the bayfront, according to Jennifer Schulz of the Newport Beach Fire Department.

A small trash can in the parking lot behind the building was pinpointed as the source of the blaze, Schulz said in a released statement. "Cigarettes were found to have burned completely through the trash can, igniting the surrounding scraps of wood and lumber in the vicinity."

The large pile of scrap lumber -- which was being used for a small remodel at the building -- sat next to the two-story office building. Schulz said flames shot up to 20 feet high and caused exterior damage to the building. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and limited the damage to the exterior second story landing of the office building.  

“With the exception of the small area of the landing, the Fire Department saved the entire structure that was beginning to catch fire," Capt. Ty Lunde said. "Their aggressive efforts saved approximately $500,000 in potential property and structural damage."

During the incident, firefighters went down to the docks below the building and prevented any runoff from entering the bay.