Fire victim dies of smoke inhalation A...

Fire victim dies of smoke inhalation

A 90-year-old woman injured in a house fire in Corona del Mar

early Thursday has died.

Muriel Englund died early Sunday of smoke inhalation, said

Supervising Deputy Coroner Leslie Meader. Englund’s son, Gary

Englund, said Thursday that his mother had a 50% chance of survival.

Fire investigators believe a space heater too close to a bed

caused the two-alarm fire that also left another woman with first-

and second-degree burns.

Four generations of women in the family were living in the home in

the 500 block of Narcissus Avenue when the blaze erupted.

Firefighters arrived to find two women and a 7-year-old girl

outside the home and learned that one woman was still inside the

burning structure.

Firefighters pulled Muriel Englund, the owner of the home, from

her bedroom on the first floor. Another woman, who rents the upstairs

of the house, was not home at the time of fire.

Gary Englund said that also living in the home were his sister,

Beverly Englund, her daughter, Laura, and Laura’s 7-year-old

daughter, Alexandria.

Costa Mesa police nab burglary suspects

Costa Mesa police on Monday arrested two men on suspicion of

residential burglary after they were caught stealing jewelry from a

home in the 2100 block of Orange Avenue, police said.

The men were spotted leaving the house at noon by several

witnesses who were able to provide descriptions, said Sgt. Tim

Schennum.

Police set up a perimeter and searched every yard in the area,

Schennum said.

The two men were arrested in the 200 block of 22nd Street, and

police recovered all the stolen jewelry.

Eric Menjivar, 19, and Marco Rivera, 21, both of Costa Mesa, were

booked at the Costa Mesa Police Department on charges of residential

burglary, Schennum said.