Aquarium fire damages Newport apartment

A saltwater aquarium’s electrical equipment started a fire Wednesday night that caused $70,000 in damage to a Newport Beach apartment complex, officials said.

The Newport Beach Fire Department responded to the Baypointe Apartments, 932 Baypointe Drive about 8:30 p.m. and saw smoke coming from a second floor unit, according to a news release.

The residents weren’t home and weren’t immediately reachable, according to the release. The apartment building manager reached the residents while they were having dinner, said Mike Lyster, a spokesman for the Irvine Co.

Firefighters put out the blaze within 10 minutes with help from automatic sprinklers that kept the fire in check and alarms that alerted other residents, the department said.

While the fire didn’t affect the other units, water did damage the unit below, the Fire Department said.

No injuries were reported.

Some saltwater aquariums have what’s called “saltwater creep” that can affect the electrical equipment, according to Newport Beach Fire Capt. Glenn White.

The Fire Department urged residents to install fire alarms, detectors and residential sprinkler systems to prevent injuries and property damage as a result of fires.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30