ARRESTED: Albert Eugene Faulk, male white, 47 years old, last known address in Anaheim, CA
Original Incident
On Friday, November 11, 2016 at 2:37 a.m., the Newport Beach Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 800 block of Production Place. Upon arrival, fire personnel were dispatched to the rear of the building, where approximately 40 outside storage areas were fully engulfed in flames. (The storage areas consisted of converted carports that were surrounded by chain link fencing.)
The incident quickly escalated to a four-alarm fire. During the initial fire attack, personnel arriving on scene were also assigned to structure protection for the surrounding buildings. All power was cut off to the surrounding area as several power poles sustained significant fire damage.
A total of 66 fire personnel from Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Huntington Beach Fire Departments were assigned to the incident. The surrounding buildings did not catch fire; all fire-related damage was confined to the outside storage area.
Two individuals, including the arrestee, were injured in the fire. No firefighters were injured during the incident, but one Newport Beach firefighter was injured later in the day during follow-up investigation. He was transported for medical attention and has since returned to work.
Arson Investigation
Police and Fire Department personnel conducted a thorough joint investigation into the arson incident. Police Detectives were able to determine that Faulk was occupying one of the storage units at the time of the fire. They secured a $50,000 warrant for his arrest, for the charge of Unlawfully Causing a Fire to an Inhabited Structure. Faulk was arrested by NBPD personnel on Monday, November 21, 2016 at 8:15 a.m. in the city of Santa Ana and booked at Orange County Jail for the warrant.
There are no suspects outstanding in this case.
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