Print ArticleThe motivations for arson are subtle and complex, but I hope to give some general information which will help the reader understand why arson occurs. Arson can be a crime which has terrible unintended consequences. In 2007, in Malibu, teenagers were partying in a cave. They had a fire which, it is alleged, they carelessly kicked out into the brush. This occurred during a Red Flag Warning which made the fire illegal. The result was a blaze which burned for three days, destroyed 52 homes at a cost of over $400 million. Fortunately, no lives were lost. Did these kids intend to cause that damage? Did they intend to destroy 52 homes? Probably not, but that was the consequence of an arson fire.
Most arson investigators will tell you that the fire setter (that's what they're called) doesn't intend widespread destruction. If not, why does he start fires? By the way, arson is predominately a male activity, there aren't a lot of female arsonists.
First, lets eliminate some obvious situations:
Revenge - a guy's girlfriend breaks up with him. He gets angry and sets her apartment on fire. That's revenge. He may not be a fire nut, he just wants to pay her back. Fraud - someone is behind on his car payments. He torches his car and tries to collect the insurance. And, maybe he even claims his $3,000 camera was in the car when it burned. Expand this concept and you have someone burning down an entire building to collect the insurance on a failing business.
Hate Crime - someone sets fire to a church or Synagogue. In these cases the reason for the fire is relatively easy to understand. The use of fire is the means to an end.
Now consider the more complex cases where the fire itself is the objective. What kind of a person sets fire to the side of a mountain, or a forest, or a grassland? What kind of person torches an empty building? What does he get out of it? Why does he do it?
Fire setters are classified in categories, and these names will tell you a lot about the type of person involved in arson:
CURIOSITY - generally young children, experimenting.
DELINQUENT - adolescents engaged in a possibly wide range of activities leading to criminal conduct.
THRILL SEEKER - individuals seeking excitement and risk.
EMOTIONALLY DISORDERED- individuals who are emotionally unbalanced and find setting a fire has a calming influence.
THOUGHT DISORDERED - individuals afflicted with a range of illnesses from learning disabilities to full blown schizophrenic behavior.
Added to these general categories the overtones of sexual deviation; drug abuse; physical and mental abuse or neglect, and the reasons a person becomes a fire setter are very complex. For many of these individuals, starting a fire gives them an expression of rage, a sense of accomplishment, or a sense of control over a single event in a life in which they have no control. Conflict in the home and poor role models also play a role.
Copyright 2008 – Kurt Kamm
Kurt Kamm writes novels about fires and firefighters. A resident of Malibu, he has lived through several wildland fires. He is a regular visitor at the fire camps, stations and training academies of L.A. County Fire Department and CalFire. To learn more about his novels, One Foot in the Black, and Red Flag Warning, visit http://www.kurtkamm.com.
Most arson investigators will tell you that the fire setter (that's what they're called) doesn't intend widespread destruction. If not, why does he start fires? By the way, arson is predominately a male activity, there aren't a lot of female arsonists.
First, lets eliminate some obvious situations:
Revenge - a guy's girlfriend breaks up with him. He gets angry and sets her apartment on fire. That's revenge. He may not be a fire nut, he just wants to pay her back. Fraud - someone is behind on his car payments. He torches his car and tries to collect the insurance. And, maybe he even claims his $3,000 camera was in the car when it burned. Expand this concept and you have someone burning down an entire building to collect the insurance on a failing business.
Hate Crime - someone sets fire to a church or Synagogue. In these cases the reason for the fire is relatively easy to understand. The use of fire is the means to an end.
Now consider the more complex cases where the fire itself is the objective. What kind of a person sets fire to the side of a mountain, or a forest, or a grassland? What kind of person torches an empty building? What does he get out of it? Why does he do it?
Fire setters are classified in categories, and these names will tell you a lot about the type of person involved in arson:
CURIOSITY - generally young children, experimenting.
DELINQUENT - adolescents engaged in a possibly wide range of activities leading to criminal conduct.
THRILL SEEKER - individuals seeking excitement and risk.
EMOTIONALLY DISORDERED- individuals who are emotionally unbalanced and find setting a fire has a calming influence.
THOUGHT DISORDERED - individuals afflicted with a range of illnesses from learning disabilities to full blown schizophrenic behavior.
Added to these general categories the overtones of sexual deviation; drug abuse; physical and mental abuse or neglect, and the reasons a person becomes a fire setter are very complex. For many of these individuals, starting a fire gives them an expression of rage, a sense of accomplishment, or a sense of control over a single event in a life in which they have no control. Conflict in the home and poor role models also play a role.
Copyright 2008 – Kurt Kamm
Kurt Kamm writes novels about fires and firefighters. A resident of Malibu, he has lived through several wildland fires. He is a regular visitor at the fire camps, stations and training academies of L.A. County Fire Department and CalFire. To learn more about his novels, One Foot in the Black, and Red Flag Warning, visit http://www.kurtkamm.com.
view author's RSS feed
