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Sprinklers help quell Calif. fire

Sprinklers activated and the fire was declared knocked down in minutes

By Claudia Koerner
The Orange County Register

EMERALD BAY, Calif. — A house fire in Emerald Bay triggered the home’s sprinkler system, which knocked down the flames within minutes of firefighters’ arrival.

Orange County Fire Authority received reports of white smoke coming from the patio of the three-story beachfront home in the 100 block of Emerald Bay around 2:30 p.m.

Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion said 22 firefighters from the OCFA, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach arrived to find the fire had spread from the patio to an interior room. Sprinklers activated, and the fire was declared knocked down by 2:40 p.m., Concepcion said.

Firefighters used thermal-imaging cameras to ensure the fire did not spread behind walls or beneath floors.

Damage is estimated at less than $10,000.

“It had the potential for quite a bit more,” Concepcion said. “Definitely, the automatic sprinklers kept the damage to a minimum.”

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