BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Three condos gutted in Monday fire

A second-alarm fire gutted three condos early Monday, Huntington Beach firefighters said.

At around 11 a.m., 43 Huntington Beach firefighters and eight Costa Mesa firefighters responded to a blaze reported in the 19700 block of Seashore Drive.

A blaze in one of the buildings at Beachwalk condo complex claimed three of four units, leaving only minor smoke damage in the fourth, fire authorities said.

Nearly $1.2 million in property was lost in the fire, which took about 45 minutes to extinguish, Huntington Beach Fire Department spokeswoman Martha Werth said.

Five residents were evacuated, but no one was injured in the blaze, Werth said.

The fire’s cause is still under investigation.

Trash-bin fires being investigated

Huntington Beach firefighters are investigating a number of trash-bin fires that occurred in the early morning hours Nov. 9 that may have been started by the same person, authorities said.

Three trash bins were set ablaze between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., one in the 18900 block of Mora Kai, another in the 18800 block of Valley Circle, and a third in the 18800 block of Beach Boulevard, fire officials said.

A car parked near one of the trash bins was also claimed in the Valley Circle blaze, fire authorities said.

Due to the fact that all the blazes occurred within an hour in a less than two-mile radius, investigators suspect arson.

“Dumpsters don’t just catch on fire,” Fire Dept. spokeswoman Martha Werth said.

Police have been notified to increase patrolling in that area, especially late at night, Werth said.