The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) announced this week that a man was sentenced to multiple counts of arson stemming from fires set last year in Mission Viejo and surrounding areas.
Mathew Deason, 29, was sentenced on May 7 to 40 months in prison, lifetime Arson Registrant, restitution to the property owners, 3 felony “strikes” and psychiatric counseling (to be determined at a later time).
Last December, firefighters responded to five separate fires in Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills. The fires all occurred within 90 minutes and burned in the vicinity of Alicia Parkway and the I-5 Freeway. The fires included a commercial dumpster, a vegetation fire, two commercial building fires and a building fire within an apartment complex community center. Damages from those fires exceeded $800,000.
The OCFA will thoroughly investigate all intentional and accidental fires and aggressively arrest and prosecute suspected arsonists. Through a cooperative effort, OCFA fire investigators work in partnership with local law enforcement agencies in the arrest and prosecution of persons responsible for intentionally starting fires.
If you witness a suspected arson or have information regarding a fire, you are urged to call OCFA’s anonymous arson tip line at (800) 540-8282 or your local police agency.
Fire prevention and safety information is available at www.ocfa.org.
