Saddleback College Student Who Died In Campus Fire Committed Suicide
MISSION VIEJO (CBLA.com) — A 21-year-old student who died in a fire at Saddleback College last week committed suicide, according to Orange County coroner's officials.
Jacob Mathews, of Lake Forest, was discovered around 7 a.m. July 8 in a classroom in the business and general studies (BGS) building on campus.
The victim suffered second- and third-degree burns and was airlifted to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he died.
Investigators later ruled the blaze to be an arson.
In a letter on the college's website, Saddleback College President Tod Burnett offered his condolences to Mathews' loved ones.
"Nothing breaks our hearts more than the sudden loss of one of our promising students," he said.
Burnett also said the BGS building will remain closed for another week.
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