Fire at Newland House halts wedding reception

A small fire erupted at Newland House on Saturday evening, putting a stop to a wedding reception there, officials said Monday.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department was called at 7:20 p.m. to Newland House, one of the oldest residences in the city, for a fire, said Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Lopez.

When officials arrived on the scene, there was no smoke or flames outside the residence or on the ground floor, but they were met with smoke when they reached the second floor.

A small fire was found in the second floor’s laundry room, Lopez said.

Officials put out the fire at 7:34 p.m.

It isn’t immediately known what caused the fire, but the incident is under investigation, Lopez said.

There were people inside the house when the fire started, but they evacuated before firefighters arrived, he said.

A wedding reception on the property was canceled after the fire broke out, Lopez said.

Officials estimate the damage to be a few thousand dollars, he said.

Britney Barnes