- Author
- Hall, J. R., Jr.
- Title
- Intentional Fires and Arson.
- Coporate
- National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
- Report
- NFPA ATP, November 2007, 50 p.
- Keywords
- fire statistics | arson | firesetters | fire departments | costs | fire fighters | injuries | death | damage | fire losses | NFIRS
- Identifiers
- suspicious fires; firesetting; intentional fires and arson fact sheet; defining arson and intentional fires; international fires and arson offenses; firesetters and criminal justice; myths of arson; trend analaysis and the disappearance of "suspicious" as a cause
- Abstract
- In 2005, an estimated 323,900 intentional fires were reported to U.S. fire departments. These fires were associated with losses of 490 civilian fire deaths, 1,500 civilian fire injuries, 7,600 firefighter on-duty at-scene injuries, and $1.102 billion in direct property damage. In 2005, 18% of arson offenses were cleared by arrest or exceptional means. In 2005, an estimated 323,900 intentional fires reported to U.S. fire departments resulted in 490 civilian fire deaths, 3 firefighter on-duty deaths (at the scene of or during response or return to or from an intentional fire), 1,500 civilian fire injuries, 7,600 firefighter on-duty injuries (at the scene of an intentional fire but not including response/return injuries) and $1.102 billion in direct property damage. Rates of intentional structure fires or arson offenses, relative to population, are highest in large cities but are also higher in rural communities (less than 2,500 population) than in small towns (say, 2,500 to 9,999 population). The percentage of structure fires that are intentional is largest for the large cities, and for this measure, there is no secondary peak for rural communities. In the U.S., typically one of every six arson offenses (18% in 2005) is cleared by arrest or "exceptional means." Juveniles have accounted for roughly half of all U.S. arrestees beginning in 1992 (49% in 2005).