Firefighters

The stories read like TV plotlines: a daring ocean rescue of a swimmer facedown in the water, revivals of choking babies close to death, a man pulled from a burning building through a second-story window, flames licking at his back. But at a Thursday-morning awards ceremony, Newport Beach Fire Department officials said that intense training and dedication make such heroics another part of real everyday life for the city's sworn employees. "If you asked any of the recipients, they'd simply say they were just doing their jobs," Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Kitch told an audience gathered in the old City Council Chambers on Newport Boulevard.

Three dogs were rescued from a house fire in Westside Costa Mesa on Friday afternoon, authorities said. Twenty-one Costa Mesa Fire Department personnel from three engines and a truck responded just after 11 a.m. to 2074 Monrovia Ave., where they found smoke coming from the front bedroom, said Battalion Chief Fred Seguin. It took 10 minutes to extinguish the fire, which was contained to the room where it started, he said. It was unclear at first if the home was empty, Seguin said.

Two firefighters - one from Costa Mesa and one from Newport Beach - were injured while battling a garage fire near city limits Thursday morning, authorities said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, said officials with the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach fire departments. About 15 Newport Beach and Costa Mesa fire trucks and about 35 firefighters responded to the blaze in the 300 block of 23rd Street in Costa Mesa at about 11:16 a.m, said Costa Mesa Fire Battalion Chief Kershaw.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and praise the Costa Mesa Fire Department. Last Friday, our beloved home of 47 years caught on fire. Luckily, a passing motorist noticed fire coming from the roof. He alerted me to leave the house and related that he had already called the fire department. They arrived within minutes. There were at least 15 firefighters who knew exactly what to do and how to do it. They contained and extinguished the fire to the point that only one bedroom and just a section of the roof were damaged.

A dryer fire at a Costa Mesa laundromat temporarily closed the business Monday morning, officials said. Costa Mesa firefighters received a call about the fire at 9:31 a.m. Monday from Sudz Laundry Center at 2400 Newport Blvd., according to Battalion Chief Fred Seguin. A woman who worked at the laundromat called firefighters after putting out some of the fire with an extinguisher, and firefighters were on scene within three minutes, Seguin said. Once there, firefighters spotted smoke coming out of the business and its roof.

The Newport Beach Fire Department recently hired 10 firefighters to fill gaps in staffing, officials said Wednesday. The firefighters are predominantly from Southern California, including San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego and Orange counties, although one is coming from South Lake Tahoe, where she spent five years as a paramedic, according to acting Assistant Fire Chief Chip Duncan. "We got them on board just in time for the holidays," Duncan said. The new hires began work Dec. 22, Duncan said, with some, according to City Manager Dave Kiff, working shifts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The newest members of the department fill positions left open by promotions and retirements, a letter from Kiff's office said.

A pair of maintenance workers rescued two women from an apartment fire in Costa Mesa, firefighters said Monday. Arturo Hernandez, who works at the South Pointe apartment complex at 655 W. Baker St., saw the fire burning before noon Sunday directly across from the shed where parts are stored. He was having lunch and quickly ran to get a coworker, Geraldo Rodriguez, for help. They ran toward the building, where they alerted residents and looked for the unit on fire. Hernandez said he heard women shouting, "'Help me!

Costa Mesa firefighters extinguished a fire at a single-family home and rescued the family's cat Friday morning, officials said. A smoke detector alerted the family to a fire shortly after midnight at their home in the 800 block of Santiago Road, according to the city of Costa Mesa. The family escaped the house unharmed, and called the Costa Mesa Fire Department. Firefighters could see heavy smoke from the home's garage and roofline, and rescued the cat from a smoke-filled room.

A Brea man died after a firefighter rescued him from the water during Sunday's triathlon in Newport Beach, authorities said. Roger Stewart, 51, died at Hoag Hospital at 8:38 a.m. after a Newport Beach lifeguard on a paddleboard spotted him showing distress signs in the water during the Kring & Chung Triathlon, according to Newport Beach Fire Department Capt. Todd Knipp and the Orange County coroner's office. Stewart was among others swimming in the race about 8 a.m. in the cove area of Newport Dunes, but "in a matter of moments this gentleman was facedown in the water," Knipp said.

Firefighters responded to the Costa Mesa Motor Inn early Tuesday after a driver struck the building and fled the scene, authorities said. About 1:37 a.m., the Costa Mesa Fire Department received a call that a vehicle drove into an unoccupied room of the motel at 2277 Harbor Blvd., according to the Fire Department. Firefighters arrived at the motel in five minutes, and they determined that the damage to the structure was significant enough that the urban search and rescue team needed to shore it up, officials said.