A pyromaniac seeking assistance with his compulsion at the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health’s Victor Valley mental health clinic became upset and set himself afire Tuesday morning.
According to reports, Sean Eugene Flores was in the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health’s Victor Valley Behavioral Health Center, located at 12625 Hesperia Road in Victorville after 9 a.m. on October 10.
For a reason that is yet unclear, Flores felt put out over some aspect of his interaction with a counselor. He went into a restroom at the facility, disabled a smoke detector and lit himself and a paper dispenser on fire.
Flores sustained injuries. Almost immediately, possibly because of Flores’ scream of agony from the burns he was sustaining, employees and patients at the center were aware of the fire. A call, which was initially logged as a report of a commercial structure fire, came into the dispatch center for the San Bernardino County Fire Department at 9:54 a.m. By 9:55 a call was relayed to firefighters who were dispatched immediately to the location.
Upon arriving, firefighters facilitated the evacuation of patients and staff, and quickly determined that the fire was contained entirely within the restroom. The flames were quickly knocked down.
Flores was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of arson.
Patients were temporarily moved into the center’s clubhouse building, located next door. The incident resulted in the cancellation of ongoing appointments and ones scheduled for later that day. By the following day, the center was operating on its normal schedule.
Flores was put into a specialized ward at the High Desert Detention Center, where he is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.