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Student Burned In Saddleback College Arson Fire Dies
A 21-year-old student who was severely burned in a fire at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo has died.
The fire broke out around 6:40 a.m. Monday on the third floor of the Business and General Studies building on campus, according to Orange County Fire Authority.
The victim suffered second- and third-degree burns over his entire body and was airlifted to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he later died, fire officials told CBS News. His name has been withheld, pending notification of his relatives.
Classes in the BGS building were cancelled as the fire was investigated.
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Investigators were trying to determine if the victim was the one who started the fire. "The fire was ruled arson,'' Capt. Jon Muir of the Orange County Fire Authority told City News Service. "There was an accelerant. ... We do not know if this person lit the fire.''
Damage was estimated at $400,000 for the structure and its contents. The fire blew out several windows, as could be seen in news footage. The student was the only one injured in the fire.
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