Man rescued from Costa Mesa house fire

Firefighters rescued a man from a Costa Mesa home Thursday morning after a fire broke out in a bedroom.

About 7 a.m., 25 firefighters responded to the one-story house in the 400 block of Traverse Drive, which is just southwest of where the 405 and 55 freeways meet, according to a news release from the Costa Mesa Fire Department.

The first firefighters to arrive saw flames and were told that people were still inside the house.

Though heat and smoke hampered rescue operations, firefighters managed to pull a man to safety, according to fire officials.

They discovered that two other occupants at the home were able to escape the blaze before firefighters arrived.

“There is no question that time was critical for this rescue,” said paramedic Greg LaFave.

The rescued man was taken by paramedics to a nearby trauma center, where he was released Thursday afternoon, Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano said.

Flames were extinguished within 15 minutes of the first truck arriving, according to Battalion Chief Kevin Diamond. Several firefighting and rescue vehicles responded.

The blaze caused about $90,000 in damage, according to a preliminary estimate.

Investigators are working to determine what sparked the flames.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck