Man Dies in Apartment Fire Begun by Candle

A man died early Wednesday after a candle that was near combustibles sparked a fire in his apartment, a fire official said.

The fire in the apartment building at 22nd Street and West Balboa Boulevard was reported about 6:45 a.m. by a lifeguard on patrol, said Jennifer Schulz, a Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman.

While waiting for firefighters to arrive, he and a bystander evacuated eight residents from neighboring apartments, she said.

The resident of the burned apartment, whom authorities had not identified, died at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach.