The fire broke out in a lecture hall on the third floor of the school's Business and General Studies Building at 6:30 a.m. Monday. The 21-year old, whose name has not been released, was found unconscious but was revived and ultimately transferred to a burn center, where he died Monday night, said Jon Muir, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.
Investigators are trying to determine if the student deliberately or accidentally set himself on fire, or if he was a victim of arson. No other students were in the area at the time.
College spokeswoman Jennie McCue said the student was enrolled in the class that was supposed to meet in the classroom at 7 a.m.
The student had been enrolled at Saddleback since the spring 2011 and had a GPA of 3.23, McCue said. He was currently taking 11 units and was planning to transfer, she said.
Several classes at Saddleback College had to be relocated Tuesday. The fire left $400,000 worth of damage to the structure and contents.
The Orange County Fire Authority continues to investigate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
