Convicted arsonist now accused of torching Orange County buildings, burglarizing fire stations

A former San Bernardino County fire explorer already in custody for an arson conviction is facing new charges after the Orange County Fire Authority said he burglarized fire stations in four counties and set a series of blazes.

Christian David Saddler, 21, of Hesperia, was arrested at Corcoran State Prison, where he is serving a five-year sentence after being convicted of arson and burglary in Riverside County.

Saddler, a former San Bernardino County fire explorer, set fires causing more than $5 million in damage as diversions to draw firefighters out of their stations in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties so he could burglarize them, an OCFA news release said Tuesday.

He is facing nine felony counts of arson and burglary for the crimes he’s suspected of in Orange County in 2016. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 11.

OCFA investigators learned about Saddler when he was arrested on suspicion of committing a similar crime spree in Norco on Jan. 30, 2017. That day, 2,500 bay hales worth an estimated $250,000 burned in an early morning fire on 6th Street.

Fire and police investigators in Orange County and the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives worked on the case for more than two years.

No one was reported injured in the fires, OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy said.

Saddler is at least the second Inland resident in prison for burglarizing fire stations. In 2018, 28-year-old Hector Daniel Velazquez, who was convicted of breaking into stations throughout Moreno Valley, stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear and electronic devices, was sentenced to four years in state prison.