Offices near JWA consumed in morning blaze

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- A predawn blaze consumed more than 4,000 square feet

of office space Monday, causing half a million dollars in damages to an

industrial park near John Wayne Airport.

The smell of smoke hung in the air as Eastlake Graphics employees

peered into roofless, blackened cavities that were once their offices.

Graphics designer Keon Green, 32, and delivery truck driver George

Orville, 73, stared in amazement at the charred remains that they said no

longer resembled the office they left on Friday.

“I’ve worked here for 10 years, in three different locations, and I’m

not ready to retire yet,” said Orville, who rushed down to see the damage

when he got a phone call Monday morning.

While most of the damage was to Eastlake Graphics, owned by Ralph

Cruz, several surrounding businesses suffered smoke and water damage,

said John Blauer of the Newport Beach Fire Department.

The cause of the fire, which illuminated the sky just after 4:30 a.m.,

is still unknown, Blauer said.

It took 45 firefighters from Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Orange County

and Santa Ana fire departments about an hour to extinguish the blaze,

which firefighters believe started in Cruz’s corner office of Eastlake

Graphics.

Although it looks like they will not be able to salvage anything from

the wreckage, Cruz said he hopes to get the business up and running in a

temporary location soon.

“Right now I’ going to go home and think,” Cruz said. “We’ll probably

relocate, but first we need to call all the vendors, suppliers and

customers.”