Balboa Peninsula fire causes $20k in damages

A pile of debris caused a house fire Monday in Newport Beach that stopped traffic and caused $20,000 worth in damages, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to a call from a neighbor reporting a fire in the 200 block of East Balboa Boulevard about 2:26 p.m., the Newport Beach Fire Department said in a news release.

When firefighters arrived they discovered the blaze extended from the patio of the Balboa Peninsula home to the attic. Two traffic lanes on East Balboa Boulevard were rerouted for about 30 minutes while firefighters extinguished the fire.

Fire investigators were able to pinpoint the blaze to a pile of debris on the patio that contained cigarette smoking materials — the second fire started by cigarettes in two weeks, they said. There were no reported injuries.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30