Newport Beach : Fire Raises Fears of Arsonist’s Return

A home was ransacked and then set afire in a posh Newport Beach neighborhood Wednesday, raising fears that an arsonist responsible for a series of blazes in the area has begun again after a three-month hiatus.

Firefighters extinguished a blaze at 1815 Port Westbourne Place that caused $15,000 in damages and killed a family poodle, said city Fire Capt. Ray Pendleton.

The home is in the Harbor View Hills neighborhood where there have been at least a dozen suspicious fires in the last year, ranging from trash can bonfires to residential blazes.

Wednesday’s blaze--the first of suspicious origin since May--marked what seems to be the return of the arsonist, Police Lt. Tim Newman said. The house had been ransacked before the arsonist set a room on fire, Newman said.

“There’s a strong possibility that this particular fire is related to the others,� Newman said. “We haven’t had one in quite a while, but the fact that it is an arson and it is in this neighborhood shows that it might be the same person.�

The fire had been set shortly before 11:40 a.m. in a room in the back of the house, Pendleton said. A neighbor, who noticed smoke billowing from the room, called firefighters, who extinguished the blaze in 13 minutes.

Since July 15, 1988, three neighborhood homes and four cars have been set on fire, and there have been numerous trash can blazes. No injuries have been reported, police said.

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Correction

The area is Harbor View Homes, not Harbor View Hills.

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