Accounting Employee Dies in Santa Ana Fire

A bookkeeper was killed when fire swept through a Santa Ana accounting firm early Tuesday.

The body of Joel Charles Jones, 65, of Big Bear Lake was discovered by firefighters in the rear of the building occupied by E.K. Williams Bookkeeping and Tax Service in the 1000 block of West 17th St., authorities said. Asphyxiation was the apparent cause of death, an Orange County coroner’s spokesman said.

Because of his long commute and the workload during tax season, Jones often slept overnight on a couch in the office, authorities and a family friend said.

The blaze caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage, including $500,000 to the building’s contents, Santa Ana Fire Department Capt. Ben Gonzales said. Hundreds of client files were destroyed.

The fire was reported at 4:26 a.m. and might have been caused by a paper shredder, Gonzales said.

Gonzales said firefighters searched for people when they entered the single-story building, but they had to retreat when part of the roof collapsed.

About 30 firefighters doused the blaze, which remains under investigation.

The business was a branch office for E.K. Williams, a national accounting firm that in 2000 was acquired by Fiducial Inc., a tax preparation and consulting firm in Columbia, Md.

At Jones’ Big Bear Lake residence, a family friend spoke on behalf of Jones’ wife and daughter.

Jones worked for E.K. Williams for 30 years. He also owned Boulder Bay Market in Big Bear Lake until it was sold 12 years ago, said the family friend, who did not wish to be identified.