$400,000 in damages caused

Fire investigators said an electrical circuit was to blame for a Friday blaze that killed a cat and caused an estimated $400,000 in damage to a Costa Mesa business and its property.

About 5:20 a.m., Costa Mesa firefighters were called to Allison Marine, a boatyard on Newport Boulevard, where a passerby had noticed smoke coming from the building.

At first believed to be a boat fire, emergency personnel who arrived realized the entire building was ablaze and called for assistance.

The two-alarm fire summoned 34 firefighters from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, officials said.

It took firefighters about half an hour to knock down the flames and another half hour to extinguish the remaining hot spots, said Battalion Chief Bill Kershaw.

One of the employees lost their cat in the fire. Damages were estimated at $200,000 to the building, $200,000 to property inside and damaged a nearby boat, Kershaw said.

Blamed on the failed circuit, the fire was considered accidental.

— Joseph Serna