The U.S. Fire Administration has designated the week of May 5-11 as Arson Awareness Week (AAW). The goal of this years campaign is to provide residents with strategies to combat arson in their neighborhoods.
The U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Incident Reporting System reports an estimated 16,800 intentionally set fires in residential buildings occur annually in the United States. These fires result in an estimated 280 deaths, 775 injuries and $593 million in property loss each year.
What makes someone want to burn down a house? The motivations behind the burning of homes are curiosity, vandalism, concealing another crime, excitement, revenge and insurance fraud or arson for profit.
Curiosity
Curiosity fires are most often set by juveniles. The misuse of fire has many variables including age, motivation for firesetting behavior, type of fires set, ignition materials used to set the fire, and the child’s understanding and limitations of fire. Firesetting behavior is often a symptom of the problem and may be manifested through stress and crisis in children’s lives.
Concealing Another Crime
Arson is sometimes used to mask or conceal another crime such as murder. The criminal sets the crime scene ablaze hoping that the victim’s death will be attributed to the fire and not murder. Other crimes such as burglary and larceny are also commonly covered up by an arson fire.
Excitement
Most excitement fires are nuisance fires but may escalate to homes. Excitement-motivated arsonists desire the thrill associated with setting the fire and relish the attention it brings. They rarely intend to injure people but don’t have the requisite knowledge to keep the fires under control.
Revenge
According to the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, the most common motive (41 percent) for a serial arsonist is revenge. An arsonist will target the home of someone in retaliation for an actual or perceived injustice against him or her.
Insurance Fraud/Arson for Profit
Arson for profit is insurance fraud, a criminal method of obtaining money from a fire loss policy. Torching homes for insurance money endangers innocent neighbors and brave firefighters. These senseless insurance crimes also raise premiums for all honest homeowners at a time when every penny counts.
The Westchester County Cause and Origin Team and Arson Task Force encourages residents to further educate themselves about Arson. To learn more about this topic visit the U.S. Fire Administration.