Talbert park fire burns brush at homeless camp

Costa Mesa firefighters doused a small brush fire at Talbert Regional Park after flames broke out in an apparent homeless encampment there Wednesday, a fire official said.

About a dozen firefighters responded to the southern portion of the park near the end of West 19th Street shortly before 11:30 a.m., according to the Fire Department.

Crews controlled the blaze within 40 minutes, after it burned about a 35-square-foot patch of brush, Battalion Chief Tim Vasin said

Investigators are trying to determine what sparked the fire, but Vasin said it began in an area where it appeared that transients were camping.

“There were individuals around in the area that were seen running from where the fire was when we pulled up,” he said.

Firefighters took one person to a hospital for treatment of a medical condition unrelated to the fire, Vasin said. The person is expected to survive, he said.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck