BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Mountain cyclist rescued by helicopter

A mountain bicyclist who had attempted to tackle a steep decline in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park was rescued by helicopter about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Laguna Beach Fire chief Mike Macey said.

Laguna Beach firefighter-paramedics and police were asked to assist in an Orange County Fire Authority back-country rescue of the 39-year-old man, Macey said.

The Fire Authority took the victim out of the wilderness by helicopter, and Laguna Beach paramedics met the copter, which landed at the Laguna Beach Dog Park at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road.

The injured cyclist, who had tumbled off his bike, was transported to Mission Viejo Hospital for treatment of shoulder injuries.

Sprinklers save home from major damage

A $4.5 million home under construction escaped major damage from a fire caused by spontaneous combustion of oily rags, Fire Chief Mike Macey said.

Firefighters were called to the home on the 3100 block of Bluff Drive at 10:25 a.m. Saturday to investigate a fire that had been extinguished by the home sprinkler system.

The 3,300-square-foot home was only six weeks from completion.

Kitchen cabinets that had been stained and left to dry were ruined, but the loss to the home is estimated at just $30,000 to $50,000, mostly from water damage.

“I am convinced that with the combination of the interior fire loading, lack of early notification, and the openness of the interior design that the fire would have significantly, if not totally, destroyed the home” without the sprinkler system in place, Macey said.

Since 2003, sprinkler systems have been required in new homes or homes that are being extensively remodeled in Laguna Beach.

Decoy operation nets alcohol citations

An undercover Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) decoy operation was held Saturday evening in Laguna Beach, and four persons were cited on suspicion of selling alcoholic beverages to a minor under 21 years of age, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

This operation included the use of an 18-year-old person, the decoy, who, under the surveillance of detectives, would enter businesses and attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages.

The operation was conducted at 15 businesses within the city. Eleven of the businesses checked the identification of the decoy and did not sell alcohol to the decoy.

Citations were issued to employees of four of the other businesses for sales of alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor. The persons listed below were issued citations and were associated with the following establishments:

It is illegal in California to furnish any person under the age of 21 with an alcoholic beverage. It is also illegal for any person under the age of 21 to possess any type of alcoholic beverage.

In addition, one Laguna Beach resident was cited for possession of under one ounce of marijuana and four juveniles were detained and released to their parents.

The juveniles, all age 17, were at a party at a local hotel with alcohol present. One of the juveniles was a Laguna Beach resident and the others were from Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills.

Personnel costs associated with the ABC Minor Decoy Operation are completely refundable by a grant the Laguna Beach Police Department received from Alcoholic Beverage Control.