Student held for allegedly sparking fire in restroom

A Newport Harbor High School student was arrested Tuesday after authorities said she ignited a fire in a girls restroom on the campus, forcing students campuswide to evacuate the school.

Authorities suspect the girl, a 17-year-old Costa Mesa resident, set a roll of toilet paper on fire in a girls bathroom in a portable trailer on the campus, which caused about $500 in damage to the stall walls, officials said.

It doesn’t appear she was doing something else, such as smoking, to accidentally ignite the flames, Sgt. Evan Sailor said.

The small blaze started just before 10 a.m. Tuesday morning in a restroom in the campus’ portable trailer area near the pool, school officials said. Firefighters extinguished it in about 20 minutes.

The building itself was never on fire, officials said.

No one was injured and students were evacuated to the softball and practice fields to avoid the fire until authorities said it was safe to go back to class 30 minutes later, school officials said.

Investigators will work to determine the exact extent of the damage to school property, authorities said.

Members of school security and Newport Beach police Officer Rachel Johnson were able to identify the girl and take her into custody.

Authorities did not release the girl’s name due to her age and declined to comment on how they concluded she started the fire.