Arson

-- CRIME 2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 Murder 0 0 0 Rape 0 0 0 Sexual Assault 1 0 1 Indecent Exposure 2 0 0 Robbery 0 0 1 Hate Crimes 1 0 1 Aggravated Assault 1 0 0 Minor/Verbal Assault 6 8 12 Arson 0 0 0 Bomb Threat 0 0 1 OCC Property Burglary 3 1 2 Personal Property Burglary 18 16 14 OCC Property Grand Theft 3 6 7 Personal Property Grand Theft 6 9 10 OCC Property Petty Theft...

POLICE FILES NEWPORT BEACH 41st Street: An arrest was made after police responded to a fight in the 100 block at 8 p.m. Sunday. Corsica Drive: Arson was reported in the 100 block at 8:31 a.m. Monday. 15th Street: A physical fight was reported in the 800 block at 2:05 a.m. Monday. Emerald Avenue: A suspect was arrested after making prowler noises in the 100 block at 8:02 a.m. Monday. Nordina Street and Beach Drive: A stolen vehicle was recovered at 9:54 a.m. Coral Avenue: Grand theft was reported in the 100 block at 2:30 p.m. Monday.

It took Costa Mesa firefighters about 10 minutes to extinguish a small blaze that they say an "apparently disgruntled" 90-year-old man started in the middle of his hotel room Sunday afternoon. Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Chris Riley said the 1:20 p.m. fire at the Holiday Inn was ignited by the man, who then fled the scene and was arrested on suspicion of arson at a nearby hotel. Riley said officials suspect the man ignited papers to start the fire, though the investigation is continuing.

Closet fire breaks out in bookstore Barnes and Noble Booksellers in South Coast Metro suffered $20,000 worth of damage after a fire broke out in one of its closets Sunday morning, Costa Mesa Fire officials said. The fire was "small" and was put out by the sprinklers even before firefighters arrived at about 10:55 a.m., officials said. No one was injured. There was minor fire damage in the closet. Officials said water was also found on the floor and outside the closet with water leaking down into Mikasa, which is directly below.

-- Deepa Bharath The city of Costa Mesa's annual Public Safety Emergency Expo will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Placentia Avenue fire station. The expo will feature displays from the city's Fire and Police departments. Demonstrations will include extinguishing a live structure fire, extracting someone from a vehicle using "jaws of life," arson prevention and the canine unit. There will also be several other public service displays and informational material for distribution to the public.

BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Arson believed to be cause of car fire Costa Mesa police and fire officials were called to a suspicious vehicle fire on the 1300 block of Logan early Sunday morning. Police say that the parked car, a Nissan Altima, was burning from the inside around 4:30 a.m. Police say they believe that the fire was started intentionally and are investigating. The owners suffered about $15,000 worth of damage to the car. Costa Mesa store robbed on Saturday A man robbed the Kap N Keg liquor store on the 3100 block of Harbor Boulevard on Saturday, according to Costa Mesa police.

A weekend fire at a Costa Mesa apartment complex injured a bystander and displaced two residents, authorities said Monday. The fire was reported in the 1300 block of Adams Avenue about 2 p.m. Saturday. When city firefighters arrived, they spotted smoke billowing from a second-story window. Firefighters ventilated the room, which restricted the fire from spreading to other parts of the unit, officials said. A man burned his feet while trying to extinguish the fire; paramedics treated him at the scene and transported him to a local hospital.

Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley firefighters extinguished a fire early Sunday that left two adults temporarily homeless. About 2:40 a.m., the Costa Mesa Fire Department responded to a fire in an upstairs unit at a two-story apartment complex at 2575 San Clemente Drive, according to a news release. Firefighters brought the fire under control in about 20 minutes and prevented it from spreading to other homes. The Fountain Valley Fire Department provided mutual aid. No injuries were reported, and the two adults are being assisted by the Red Cross.

Newport Beach's fire marshal, Steve Bunting, is retiring after 31 years with the department. Bunting's last day is today. He will be replaced by Battalion Chief Rob Gamble. Bunting joined the department in May 1979 and previously worked as a firefighter and inspector for Stanton. With Newport Beach he has been a fire captain with the fire prevention division, a part of the hazardous materials team and an arson investigator. Among Bunting's duties was inspecting homes and commercial buildings for fire safety code violations and the high-risk areas of the city vulnerable in the case of a wild fire.

Costa Mesa 19th Street: A commercial burglary was reported in the 500 block at 4 a.m. Friday. Pinecreek Drive: A residential burglary was reported in the 2800 block at 4:59 a.m. Friday. Cadillac Avenue: Vandalism was reported in the 3500 block at 6:47 a.m. Friday. Newport Boulevard: Battery was reported in the 1900 block at 9:14 a.m. Friday. Harbor Boulevard: A commercial burglary was reported in the 2700 block at 1:26 p.m. Friday. Anaheim Drive: A stolen vehicle was reported in the 1800 block at 1:53 p.m. Friday 19th Street: A fight was reported in the 700 block at 3:56 p.m. Friday.