Burning Mattress Damages Garage

A mattress caught fire and sparked a blaze inside a Newport Beach garage over the weekend, but no one was injured, a fire official reported today.

The fire was reported about 8:40 p.m. Saturday when a resident in the 400 block of Aliso Avenue noticed something unusual and called 911, according to Jennifer Schulz, of the Newport Beach Fire Department.

"The fire was discovered by the homeowner after he and his family returned from a dinner out," Schulz said in a released statement. "The homeowner reported that he noticed a black line around the door to the garage and also smelled smoke."

Responding firefighters found the two car garage fully charged with smoke and high heat, but the fire did not spread to the house and all the residents were outside. Firefighters entered the garage through a side door and found a burning futon mattress.

"The homeowner made a wise decision in not opening the door to the garage, as this could have injured the individual and allowed the fire to spread within the home," Schulz said.

The fire was extinguished and the mattress was moved out of the garage into the alley.

The accidental fire was caused by spontaneous combustion involving the mattress materials and oils, she said. The fire caused approximately $5,000 damage to the garage and $25,000 damage to the contents.