A 4-alarm fire that blazed through Newport Beach’s Promontory Point Apartments Sunday wound up damaging 39 apartments, according to a statement sent to residents.

Newport Beach fire officials have declined to comment on the investigation or the cause of the fire, which broke out around 10 a.m. at 200 Promontory Drive West. Nor did they provide a damage estimate. Newport Beach police Sgt. Joshua Vincelet said arson was not suspected.

But Promontory Point resident Senicia Burke said she was informed by fire officials that her kitchen was the epicenter of the blaze, and that the fire was electrical. Burke, who lived with her daughter at the complex, said they weren’t home when the fire began, but she raced back after learning of it in a phone call.

The fire drew 65 firefighters, and two of them were sent to a hospital after being exposed to the intense heat. They were treated and released.

Promontory Point uses a dual fire alert system, including smoke alarms in individual units and a large commercial fire alarm system throughout the complex, according to Newport Beach city spokesperson John Pope.

“City records show that an initial notice was issued in February noting deficiencies in the fire alarm system. A second notice was given in March directing repairs to the system. It is our understanding that the repairs were underway as of Sept.11, 2022, when the fire occurred,” Pope said in an email.

Promontory Point declined to comment on its fire alarm system, citing the fire department’s ongoing investigation.

“We are fully supporting the Newport Beach Fire Department in its review of the incident and are conducting our own internal review to understand the cause of the fire and the efficacy of the community’s fire safety procedures,” property director Rebecca Corey said in a statement.

In an update to residents Thursday morning, Promontory Point said 17 households would require long-term relocation and would be placed in a similar apartment within another community. Additional assistance for furniture and household items affected is also available, and residents will receive a full security deposit refund and rent credit for the days displaced, according to the statement.

Another 22 households would be temporarily displaced from one to four weeks, the statement read, and for them, “funding assistance or temporary housing options will be provided.”

Burke said she lost most of her possessions in the fire. Due to safety concerns, she has been prohibited from returning to the unit to try to salvage her belongings, she said.

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