Saddleback College Fire Victim Identified

The Orange County Coroner Saturday released the name of the man burned to death in the July 8 fire at Saddleback College.

The 21-year-old Saddleback College student Jacob Matthews of Lake Forest died of his burns at the hospital the day after the fire, which started in room 356 of the campus' BGS building.

Investigators suspect arson after discovering accelerant at the scene, said Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Jon Muir, but weren't sure if the student was responsible.

"The fire was ruled arson,'' Muir told City News Service. "We do not know if this person lit the fire.''

The blaze began around 6:30 a.m. -- half an hour before the first class -- on the third floor of the campus business/general studies building and caused $200,000 in structural damage and $200,000 in lost content, officials said.

The damage was mainly confined to the lecture hall, he said.

Although the fire began near an air conditioning unit, the air conditioner did not cause the fire, Muir said.

Classes on the second and third floors of the building have been relocated. Click here for a list of relocated classes.