Costa Mesa Fire Department

A 17-year-old Costa Mesa male was fatally stabbed during a fight in Costa Mesa late Saturday night, according to Costa Mesa police. The boy was pronounced dead early Sunday morning at Western Medical Center, police said. Police believe the incident was gang related. Authorities have arrested Scott Santana, 23, of Costa Mesa as a suspect in the murder of the teen whose name was not released, police said. Police are also charging Santana with criminal street gang activity.

Four-year-old quadruplets and their mother were injured when the van they were in flipped after a collision on Bear Street Tuesday, according to Costa Mesa police. The children — two boys and two girls — and their mother, 30, whose names were not released, were treated for cuts and bruises at Western Medical Center, according to the Costa Mesa Fire Department. One of the children was treated for facial injuries, but firefighters said the injuries were not serious.

Four-year-old quadruplets and their mother were injured when the van they were traveling in flipped after a collision on Bear Street in Costa Mesa, according to Costa Mesa police. The children – two boys and two girls — and their mother, 30, whose name has not been released, were treated for cuts and bruises at Western Medical Center, according to the Costa Mesa Fire Department. One of the children was treated for facial injuries, but firefighters said the injuries were not serious.

A 2-year-old boy got locked in a car in the Target store’s parking lot in Costa Mesa Friday afternoon, but authorities freed the boy in about 15 minutes unharmed. While the mother was exiting her car, her son was able to get his fingers on the car keys and then managed to lock the door. The mother called the authorities immediately. They arrived and had the child out of the car within 15 minutes by breaking a back window and unlocking the vehicle, according to the Costa Mesa Fire Department.

A broadside collision at Victoria Street and Placentia Avenue in Costa Mesa claimed the life of one driver after both vehicles were sent spinning through an intersection from the force of impact of the crash, police said. About 2:15 a.m. one of the vehicles, a black 1991 Honda Accord, driven by Faustino Perez-Cortez, 40, of Costa Mesa, was heading north on Placentia toward Victoria, police said. When Perez-Cortez entered the intersection his car was struck broadside by a blue 2000 Acura, driven by a 17-year-old, Costa Mesa resident, Sgt. Zach Hoferitza said.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department wants to know if local residents are prepared for a major emergency, because the strain a disaster would put on local safety and rescue workers could be overwhelming. In preparation for disaster situations that could exhaust regular resources, the city has joined forces with a number of its neighbors in seeking participants for the nationally sponsored Community Emergency Response Team program. Coordinated through FEMA, the national program educates locals on how to prepare for and react to disasters so catastrophic that they consume local emergency crews’ attention.

Mike Morgan was sworn in as the Costa Mesa Fire Department's new chief at the end of July. A 22-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Morgan served as a battalion chief, firefighter paramedic and urban search and rescue instructor during his time there. He also sharpened his management skills by helping to oversee a department with 161 stations covering 3 million people. Two weeks into his new job as Costa Mesa's fire chief, Morgan spoke with the Daily Pilot about his visions for the future.

Mike Morgan, the new chief of the Costa Mesa Fire Department, was publicly sworn in at a ceremony Thursday morning, three days after he officially began work in his new post. The former assistant fire chief of Los Angeles County, Morgan replaced interim Fire Chief Steven Parker, who ran the department since August 2006. He received his badge at a ceremony at Fire Station 5, with Mayor Allan Mansoor, City Councilwomen Katrina Foley and Linda Dixon, City Manager Allan Roeder and others in attendance.

Mourners filled Newport-Mesa Church on Newport Boulevard on Monday to remember Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Santee, a former Costa Mesa Fire Department intern who was killed in Iraq on April 14. Santee, 21, lived in Mission Viejo and worked for the city of Costa Mesa in 2005 and 2006. Along with former classmates, Marines and members of Santee's church, Costa Mesa police and fire employees filled the chapel to pay respects to Santee and show support to his family. His father, Bert Santee, is a retired Costa Mesa police sergeant who now works in the city's code enforcement division, and his sister, Laura, is a training secretary for city police.