Fire Guts Brea Store; Bike Rider Dies in Park

Several incidents across Orange County kept police and emergency crews busy Tuesday, and a man biking near Tustin collapsed and died, authorities said.

Larry Jeckell, 50, of Tustin was riding with his wife just before noon in Peters Canyon Park when he apparently had a heart attack, said Capt. Lou Furst of the Orange County Fire Authority.

Paramedics who responded to a call just before noon were not able to revive Jeckell, Furst said, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

In Brea, a video store was gutted by a fire that apparently was set, officials said. The blaze at Videoland on South Kraemer Boulevard started about 10:45 a.m. Police said witnesses saw a man 35 to 40 years old set fire to a newspaper, then drop it through the video return slot.

The fire spread up the walls and into the roof quickly, fueled by movie posters and what appeared to have been the action film section, witnesses said. A partly melted copy of “Titanic” lay just inside the door.

The store was closed at the time, and no one was hurt, though smoke damaged neighboring businesses that had to be evacuated, fire officials said. Fire crews were on the scene within three minutes of the call, and the blaze was contained within five minutes, they said.

Joe Palmero, owner of the Country Hills Liquor & Deli next door, said the wood-shingled building he shares with Videoland is 20 years old and that the situation “could have been a real disaster.”

Fire investigators estimated damage to the business at $200,000.

The store’s owner could not be reached for comment.

A mile away and two hours later, a fire charred two acres of grass along the Orange Freeway at East Lambert Road. The flames spread quickly along the freeway embankment, slowing traffic and forcing closure of the southbound offramp and the lane nearest the blaze.

Investigators said that fire, too, appeared to be arson, though the two incidents did not seem to be related.

There were no campfires in the area, no downed electric wires or any other obvious causes for the blaze, Brea Fire spokesperson Dave Huffman said. “All of a sudden, on the side of the freeway a fire starts? That’s suspicious,” he said.

Both incidents are still under investigation.

Fireworks Display Ignites Early

In South County, residents enjoying a calm afternoon near Lake Santa Margarita were treated to an unexpected pyrotechnic spectacle when a locally organized fireworks display mysteriously ignited hours earlier than planned.

Hundreds of rockets suddenly shot into the sky, sending worried locals scurrying to call emergency crews. Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies quickly arrived but found no damage other than spent Roman candles.

“There was no fire that I’m aware of. Just a kablam and a bunch of smoke,” sheriff’s Lt. Rich Paddock said. “Our 911 lines really lit up.”

Along the county’s shoreline, lifeguards spent a busy day keeping tabs on an estimated 250,000 beachgoers.

In Laguna Beach, an estimated 52,000 people crowded the shore, compared to the more usual 35,000 on a busy weekend.

“I’m looking out the window at Main Beach, and you can’t see any of the sand. You can’t see any grass. It’s amazing,” said Laguna Beach Lifeguard dispatcher Stuart Fraser.

At Huntington State Beach, lifeguards said they rescued more than 150 people from riptides. The number of rescues was typical for a crowd of that size, lifeguards said. They also reported treating a number of people for jellyfish stings.

Down the coast in Newport Beach, police Sgt. Trent Harris said if he had not known it was the Fourth of July, he would have guessed it as soon as he reported for work Tuesday morning.

“At 6 a.m., there were already 27 people in jail,” Harris said, including one who had decided to spend his jail time naked.

Most of them were picked up on suspicion of public drunkenness or similar violations, Harris said. On a typical Tuesday, he said, the inmate count would have been two.

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Times staff writer Jack Leonard and correspondent Judy Silber contributed to this report.