Kids Playing With Fireworks Set Blaze

Five children playing with illegal fireworks in a vacant field were taken into custody and later released after causing a 10-acre blaze in Newport Beach on Wednesday, officials said.

The fire, which was contained in about 40 minutes, was spotted about 12:25 p.m. by a worker in a nearby office building, said Sgt. Mike McDermott of the Newport Beach Police Department.

“A witness actually saw the kids playing with M-80s in a vacant field,” McDermott said. “It’s a felony to possess these. You can’t get them in California.”

The fire, in the area of 1499 Monrovia Ave., quickly grew out of hand, according to the witness. The children attempted to stamp it out but could not do so. The witness called 911, and 20 firefighters responded.

The fire spread across 10 acres before it was extinguished at 1:06 p.m. The land had recently been cleared for weed abatement, officials said, which helped prevent the flames from spreading farther.

No one was injured, but residents of a nearby condominium complex and businesses were warned that they might need to evacuate. Several chose to do so voluntarily, police said.

“A boat manufacturer a few doors down from us was in real danger of having the fire spread to him,” said Kevin Nelson, the owner of an industrial products company who decided to stay put. “It was a risky deal.”

After rounding up the youngsters suspected in starting the fire, police investigators went to the home of one of the children and found about two dozen M-80s and other fireworks. There, two 16-year-olds were taken into custody after they tried to hide the devices, police said.

“One of the 11-year-olds got the M-80 that started the fire from his brother, and the brother had apparently brought them from Mexico,” McDermott said.

The mother of one of the boys may face charges for telling her son to hide the fireworks at another boy’s house, McDermott said. The children, including a 9-year-old girl, were booked on charges of possessing destructive devices and were released to their parents.

“The biggest problem for these families is that they will have to foot the bill for the fire response,” McDermott said. The response also included a firefighting helicopter that was fueled and was on its way to the scene but was not used.

He described the M-80 as 6 inches long and about three-fourths of an inch diameter. After the fuse is lit, the device is thrown into the air and makes a loud bang, he said.

“They can be pretty dangerous,” McDermott said. “They can blow off hands and fingers.”