Man treated for burns, injuries after fire breaks out in Costa Mesa’s Fairview Park

One man was transported to an area burn center Thursday, following a brush fire that broke out in Costa Mesa’s Fairview Park at around 4 p.m. and took crews more than an hour to completely extinguish, officials said Friday.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Capt. Joe Noceti said a call came in at 4:08 p.m. Thursday that a fire had started on the Northwest Corner of the park near the border between the city of Costa Mesa and unincorporated county property.

Engines from Costa Mesa stations were joined by Orange County Fire Authority crews, who dispatched a helicopter to the scene, with further assistance coming from nearby Huntington Beach.

“It was in a picnic area,” Noceti said of the blaze, which grew to nearly 1 acre in size. “We had a neighborhood downwind that was just to the north — we had ashes and embers blowing north. [But] we were able to keep it out of the neighborhood.”

Noceti said there were several people in the park at the time of the incident. One man discovered near the fire was found to have sustained injuries and some burning. He was transported by paramedics to a nearby burn center for treatment.

About 30 personnel worked to surveil and fight the fire with hoselines to lick the flames and hand tools to clear brush from the area. Noceti said the fire was fueled by surrounding trees as well as some brush on the ground.

“It took a significant amount of time,” he added. “We had a little bit of wind and moderate fuel types. The guys did a great job.”

The cause of the fire was still under investigation Friday.

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