Arson

{{Short description|Intentional burning of property as a crime}} {{Redirect|Arsonists}} {{About|the crime}} {{Globalize|1=article|date=June 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}} [[File:Kyoto animation arson attack 1 20190721.jpg|thumb|280px|right|The remains of Kyoto Animation Studio 1 after being set ablaze by an arsonist]] {{Criminal law}} {{terrorism}} '''Arson''' is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. A person who commits arson is referred to as an '''arsonist''', or a serial arsonist if the person has committed arson several times.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kocsis |first=Richard N. |date=June 1, 2004 |title=Psychological Profiling of Serial Arson Offenses an Assessment of Skills and Accuracy |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/action/cookieAbsent |access-date=2026-04-06 |website=Criminal Justice and Behavior |language=en |doi=10.1177/0093854803262586}}</ref> Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercraft, or forests.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California Code, PEN 451. |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=451.&nodeTreePath=4.15.1&lawCode=PEN |access-date=2026-04-06 |website=leginfo.legislature.ca.gov}}</ref> [[File:View_of_the_El_Dorado_Fire_from_El_Dorado_Ranch_Park_on_Saturday,_September_5,_2020.jpg|thumb|Arson is legally distinct from "reckless burning" in some jurisdictions. El Dorado Fire in 2020 caused by a gender reveal party.]] Arson is considered distinct from pyromania, an impulse control disorder characterized by an obsession with fire. Most acts of arson are not committed by pyromaniacs.<ref name="Burton">{{Cite journal |last1=Burton|first1=Paul R.|last2=McNiel|first2=Dale E.|last3=Binder|first3=Renée L.|date=November 2012|title=Firesetting, arson, pyromania, and the forensic mental health expert|url=http://jaapl.org/content/jaapl/40/3/355.full.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law|volume=40|issue=3|pages=355–365|pmid=22960918|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105015630/http://jaapl.org/content/jaapl/40/3/355.full.pdf|archive-date=January 5, 2019}}</ref> Reckless burning is legally distinct from arson in some jurisdictions, but generally refers to cases where an individual causes a fire which results in death, destruction of property, or injury, through negligence or inattention.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California Code, PEN 452.|url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=452.&nodeTreePath=4.15.1&lawCode=PEN|access-date=2026-04-05|website=leginfo.legislature.ca.gov}}</ref> [[File:Arson of a mosque in the Palestinian village Mu'arrajat.webm|thumb|Arson of a mosque in the Palestinian village of Mu'arrajat by Hilltop Youth, February 2025]] Arsonists may set fires during riots,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times|first=James Tuite Special To the New York|date=1963-11-09|title=Fans Riot at L.I. Raceway, battle Police and Set Fires; AT LEAST 15 HURT; DAMAGE IS HEAVY Head of Security Police Dies of Heart Attack in Riot-- Three Races Canceled|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/11/09/archives/fans-riot-at-li-raceway-battle-police-and-set-fires-at-least-15.html|access-date=2026-04-06|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> civil unrest,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Third night of trouble in Paris suburb following teenage deaths - Yahoo! News|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051030/wl_afp/franceriotpolice_051030022906|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051112210102/https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051030/wl_afp/franceriotpolice_051030022906|archive-date=2005-11-12|access-date=2026-04-06|website=news.yahoo.com}}</ref> ethnic cleansing<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dekel-Chen|first=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AUYQ8JQ-iM0C&lpg=PA87&vq=90%20full-scale&pg=PA57#v=snippet&q=%20burn&f=false|title=Anti-Jewish Violence: Rethinking the Pogrom in East European History|last2=Gaunt|first2=David|last3=Meir|first3=Natan M.|last4=Bartal|first4=Israel|date=2010-11-26|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-00478-9|language=en}}</ref> or war.<ref>United States. War Department. [https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146045/m1/754/?q=%22use+fire+until+toward+the+last+moment%22 The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 39, In Three Parts. Part 3], Correspondence, etc., book, 1892; Washington D.C., (accessed April 6, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, <nowiki>https://texashistory.unt.edu</nowiki>; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.</ref> An arsonist may commit the crime as an act of war, terrorism,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Atkinson |first=Diane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qBr2sgEACAAJ |title=Rise Up Women!: The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes |date=2019-02-07 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing Plc |isbn=978-1-4088-4405-2 |language=en}}</ref> for financial gain (i.e., insurance fraud<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Zalma|first=Barry|date=January 8, 2014|title=Fraud Proved – Lie About Cause Of Fire Sufficient to Support Guilty Verdict|url=https://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/criminal/b/criminal-law-blog/posts/fraud-proved-lie-about-cause-of-fire-sufficient-to-support-guilty-verdict|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105002644/https://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/criminal/b/criminal-law-blog/posts/fraud-proved-lie-about-cause-of-fire-sufficient-to-support-guilty-verdict|archive-date=January 5, 2019|access-date=January 4, 2019|website=LexisNexis}}</ref> or arson-for-profit<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Goetz |first=Barry |year=1997 |title=Organization as Class Bias in Local Law Enforcement: Arson-for-Profit as a “Nonissue” |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3054046 |journal=Law & Society Review |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=557-588 |doi=10.2307/3054046 |via=JSTOR}}</ref>), emotional satisfaction (i.e., firefighter arson,<ref>"[https://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/firefighters-who-start-fires-a-look-at-the-phenomenon-of-firefighter-arson Firefighters who start fires: a look at the phenomenon of 'firefighter arson]'". Edmonton Journal. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2016-06-27.</ref> personal entertainment,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19940311&id=N3QfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FfEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6543,77978&hl=en |access-date=2026-04-06 |website=news.google.com}}</ref> retribution,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Man Sentenced to 625 Years for 25 Deaths in Dorothy Mae Fire |url=https://apnews.com/article/fd9d98d8c021b3f7f7ecaa189d5083c9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221013432/https://apnews.com/article/fd9d98d8c021b3f7f7ecaa189d5083c9 |archive-date=2022-12-21 |access-date=2026-04-06 |work=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref> or revenge), or in the concealment of another crime like robbery or homicide.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-05-11 |title=Murder, She Read - Nymag |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/crimelaw/features/2668/ |access-date=2026-04-06 |website=New York Magazine |language=en}}</ref><ref>B A McMullin, J E Moss, F Muller, J W Price, R D Robinson, D L Seyse, D A Thompson, M J Van Keuren, R F Wagner, D L Zoellick, "[https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/arson-conceal-other-crimes Arson To Conceal Other Crimes]", U.S. Department of Justice, 1983; accessed 2025.01.24.</ref> Fires are generally set using an accelerant (such as gasoline or kerosene) to ignite, propel, and direct the flames. The detection and identification of ignitable liquid residues is an important part of fire investigations.<ref name="Almirall">{{Cite book |title=Analysis and interpretation of fire scene evidence|date=2004|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0849378850|editor-last=Almirall|editor-first=José R.|location=Boca Raton|oclc=53360702|editor-last2=Furton|editor-first2=Kenneth G.}}</ref>

==Etymology== The term derives from Law French ''arsoun'' (late 13th century), from Old French {{lang|fro|arsion}}, from Late Latin {{lang|la|ārsiōnem}} "a burning," (acc.) from the verb {{lang|la|ardēre}}, "to burn."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/arson|title=arson |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=June 2, 2019|archive-date=June 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601222729/https://www.etymonline.com/word/arson|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxU39E56bvIC&q=arson+arsionem&pg=PT192|title=Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|last=Various|publisher=Library of Alexandria|via=Google Books|isbn=9781465562883|access-date=October 24, 2020|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125085347/https://books.google.com/books?id=gxU39E56bvIC&q=arson+arsionem&pg=PT192|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/arson|title=Definition of arson - Dictionary.com|website=www.dictionary.com|access-date=June 1, 2019|archive-date=June 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601222728/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/arson|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Old English term was {{lang|ang|bærnet}}, lit. "burning"; and Edward Coke has indictment of ''burning'' (1640). ''Arsonist'' is from 1864.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hw1cX0FpTcMC&dq=arsonist&pg=PA467|title=A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles|website=www.books.google.com|access-date=November 13, 2023|archive-date=November 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113115134/https://books.google.com/books?id=hw1cX0FpTcMC&pg=PA467&dq=arsonist&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgxcuYlb-CAxUZm2oFHfjuCtY4HhDoAXoECAcQAg#v=onepage&q=arsonist&f=false|url-status=live |last1=Murray |first1=James Augustus Henry |last2=Craigie |first2=Sir William Alexander |last3=Onions |first3=Charles Talbut |date=December 2, 1888 }}</ref>

== Motivations == Arson has been a documented practice for centuries<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hamilton|first=Louis I.|date=April 1, 2003|title=Memory, Symbol, and Arson: Was Rome "Sacked" in 1084?|url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1017/S0038713400168617|journal=Speculum|language=en|volume=78|issue=2|pages=378–399|doi=10.1017/S0038713400168617|issn=0038-7134|url-access=subscription}}</ref>. Arson (sometime called "fire setting" in scholarly literature<ref>{{Citation |last=Doley|first=Rebekah M.|title=Assessment of firesetters|date=2012|work=Firesetting and mental health|pages=184–205|editor-last=Dickens|editor-first=G L|url=http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/usefulresources/publications/books/rcpp/9781908020376.aspx|access-date=2026-04-18|place=London|publisher=Royal College of Psychiatrists|isbn=978-1-908020-37-6|last2=Watt|first2=Bruce D.|editor2-last=Sugarman|editor2-first=P A|editor3-last=Gannon|editor3-first=T A}}</ref>) may have varying motivations, and can be difficult to profile<ref>Dara Mojtahedi., et al. “Making an Arsonist: A Psychological Approach to Understanding Expressive Arson”. EC Psychology and Psychiatry 4.3 (2017): 94-99</ref>. Arson may be committed for a number of reasons. The wide variety of these motivations, along with limitations on cohort size, and variations in the scholarly, legal, social, and psychological definitions of arson/fire setting makes generalizations difficult<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Green|first=Bob|last2=Lowry|first2=Timothy J.|last3=Pathé|first3=Michele|last4=McVie|first4=Ness|date=2014-11-02|title=Firesetting Patterns, Symptoms and Motivations of Insanity Acquittees Charged with Arson Offences|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13218719.2014.918080|journal=Psychiatry, Psychology and Law|language=en|volume=21|issue=6|pages=937–946|doi=10.1080/13218719.2014.918080|issn=1321-8719|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalhuisen|first=L.|url=http://hdl.handle.net/1874/436248|title=Explaining arson|date=2015|publisher=Eleven international publishing|isbn=978-94-6236-616-9|language=en}}</ref>.

One or more individuals may commit arson during a riot as an act of vandalism, or during civil disorder<ref>{{Cite web |title=Third night of trouble in Paris suburb following teenage deaths - Yahoo! News|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051030/wl_afp/franceriotpolice_051030022906|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051112210102/https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051030/wl_afp/franceriotpolice_051030022906|archive-date=2005-11-12|access-date=2026-04-06|website=news.yahoo.com}}</ref> or an ethnic cleansing<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dekel-Chen|first=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AUYQ8JQ-iM0C&lpg=PA87&vq=90%20full-scale&pg=PA57#v=snippet&q=%20burn&f=false|title=Anti-Jewish Violence: Rethinking the Pogrom in East European History|last2=Gaunt|first2=David|last3=Meir|first3=Natan M.|last4=Bartal|first4=Israel|date=2010-11-26|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-00478-9|language=en}}</ref> as an act of war<ref>United States. War Department. [https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146045/m1/754/?q=%22use+fire+until+toward+the+last+moment%22 The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 39, In Three Parts. Part 3], Correspondence, etc., book, 1892; Washington D.C., (accessed April 6, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, <nowiki>https://texashistory.unt.edu</nowiki>; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.</ref>, terrorism or act of political protest<ref>{{Cite web |last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|title=Hong Kong protests: Molotov cocktails thrown in metro station {{!}} DW {{!}} 12.10.2019|url=https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-protests-molotov-cocktails-thrown-in-metro-station/a-50806459|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930151429/https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-protests-molotov-cocktails-thrown-in-metro-station/a-50806459|archive-date=2022-09-30|access-date=2026-04-08|website=DW.COM|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Atkinson|first=Diane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qBr2sgEACAAJ|title=Rise Up Women!: The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes|date=2019-02-07|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing Plc|isbn=978-1-4088-4405-2|language=en}}</ref>. For instance, it is not uncommon for buildings, cars, dumpsters to be set on fire following sporting events<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeVito|first=Lee|date=2014-10-14|title=A look back at the infamous Bubba Helms incident, 30 years later|url=https://www.metrotimes.com/news/a-look-back-at-the-infamous-bubba-helms-incident-30-years-later-2259623/|access-date=2026-04-18|website=Detroit Metro Times|language=en-US}}</ref> in some cities and nations. Fires may be set to provide "cover" to retreating or advancing forces, like in 1991 when the Iraqi military retreated from Kuwait. Groups including the Provisional IRA and the Women's Social and Political Union have used arson as a political act<ref>{{Cite news |title=Tre Arrow says Oregon halfway house next stop |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/tre_arrow_says_oregon_halfway.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014065102/http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/tre_arrow_says_oregon_halfway.html |archive-date=2012-10-14 |access-date=2026-04-18 |work=The Oregonian - OregonLive.com |language=en}}</ref> of violence. During the most recent Myanmar civil war the Military junta engaged in a campaign of burning homes to drive out combatants in urban areas<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thit|first=Nayt|date=2022-10-22|title=Analysis {{!}} Why Myanmar Junta’s ‘Four Cuts’ Arson Strategy is Failing to Quell Resistance|url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/analysis/why-myanmar-juntas-four-cuts-arson-strategy-is-failing-to-quell-resistance.html|access-date=2026-04-18|website=The Irrawaddy|language=en-US}}</ref>. Inversely, arson (or intent to commit arson) has been used a false flag or smear campaign against activists, as in the case of Marinus van der Lubbe<ref>{{Cite web |title=New report casts doubt on Reichstag fire |url=https://www.dw.com/en/ex-nazi-testimony-sparks-fresh-mystery-over-1933-reichstag-fire/a-49765704 |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> and Martin Sostre<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shapiro |first=Joseph |date=2017-04-14 |title=How One Inmate Changed The Prison System From The Inside |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/14/507297469/how-one-inmate-changed-the-prison-system-from-the-inside |access-date=2026-04-18 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref>.

Other motivations include financial gain (i.e., a person destroys their own property by burning it and attempts to collect against their insurance policy<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Zalma|first=Barry|date=January 8, 2014|title=Fraud Proved – Lie About Cause Of Fire Sufficient to Support Guilty Verdict|url=https://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/criminal/b/criminal-law-blog/posts/fraud-proved-lie-about-cause-of-fire-sufficient-to-support-guilty-verdict|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105002644/https://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/criminal/b/criminal-law-blog/posts/fraud-proved-lie-about-cause-of-fire-sufficient-to-support-guilty-verdict|archive-date=January 5, 2019|access-date=January 4, 2019|website=LexisNexis}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-29 |title=Michael Marin, Arizona man, dies moments after being convicted in arson case - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-marin-arizona-man-dies-moments-after-being-convicted-in-arson-case/ |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>). In 2019 the California Department of Insurance and San Jose Fire Department were tipped off as to an insurance fraud scheme when the location of a planned incident was given to a tip line. After an investigation, a married couple and four co-conspirators were arrested and convicted with arson and insurance fraud after a string of home, business, and warehouse fires which took place over four years. The criminals left chicken in turned-on deep fryers to make the damage look like the result of a cooking accident. The group then filled insurance claims for the cost of the building, as well as smoke-damaged goods to claim fire damages for insurance payouts. The group's scheme claimed a reported $4 million before they were caught<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ringleader of family arson crew pleads guilty in $4 million Operation Firebird insurance fraud case|url=https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2019/release088-19.cfm|access-date=2024-03-05|website=www.insurance.ca.gov}}</ref>.

Fire may be set for emotional satisfaction, firefighter arson<ref>"[https://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/firefighters-who-start-fires-a-look-at-the-phenomenon-of-firefighter-arson Firefighters who start fires: a look at the phenomenon of 'firefighter arson]'". Edmonton Journal. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2016-06-27.</ref>, personal entertainment<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19940311&id=N3QfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FfEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6543,77978&hl=en|access-date=2026-04-06|website=news.google.com}}</ref>, or as a tool of assault or revenge<ref>{{Cite news |title=Man Sentenced to 625 Years for 25 Deaths in Dorothy Mae Fire|url=https://apnews.com/article/fd9d98d8c021b3f7f7ecaa189d5083c9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221013432/https://apnews.com/article/fd9d98d8c021b3f7f7ecaa189d5083c9|archive-date=2022-12-21|access-date=2026-04-06|work=AP NEWS|language=en}}</ref>. Arson investigator John Leonard Orr and other fighter fighter arsonists have been convicted of setting fires either personal entertainment or as a form of hero syndrome. Arsonists may set a fire in an attempt to damage a small amount of property (as revenge against a landlord, employer, friend or relative) without understanding how quickly a fire can spread. The Dupont Plaza Hotel which killed 99 persons happened after three striking workers set fire to a storeroom of new furniture. The fire flashed over and ignited the ballroom and shortly, the rest of the hotel<ref>{{Cite web |title=News & Updates Anatomy of a Disaster: The DuPont Plaza Hotel Fire |url=http://www.ghwlegal.com/news/anatomy-of-a-disaster-the-dupont-plaza-hotel-fire-article-N35 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508025904/http://www.ghwlegal.com/news/anatomy-of-a-disaster-the-dupont-plaza-hotel-fire-article-N35 |archive-date=2014-05-08 |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=www.ghwlegal.com}}</ref>. Artist Lisa Lopes accidentally burned down the mansion she shared with Andre Rison in 1994 after setting fire to his sneakers in a bathtub<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lisa Lopes Documentary Captures Singer's Last Days - Music, Celebrity, Artist News {{!}} MTV |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1558031/lisa-lopes-film-captures-her-last-days.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602065414/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1558031/lisa-lopes-film-captures-her-last-days.jhtml |archive-date=2011-06-02 |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=www.mtv.com |language=en}}</ref>. Many deadly fires have been set during or following arguments<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Copeland |first=A.R. |date=August 1, 1985 |title=Homicide by fire |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/BF00203853 |journal=Zeitschrift Rechtsmedizin |language=en |volume=95 |issue=1 |doi=10.1007/BF00203853 |issn=0044-3433|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pearl |first=Mike |date=2015-06-25 |title=Revisiting a Deadly Arson Attack on a New Orleans Gay Bar on Its 42nd Anniversary |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-anniversary-of-the-upstairs-lounge-arson-the-biggest-gay-mass-murder-in-us-history-459/ |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref>.

A person may also commit arson as the result of a psychotic episode as a result of delusions or hallucinations and may or may not be found criminally insane<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leong|first=Gregory B.|last2=Mueller|first2=Crystal|last3=Feldsher|first3=Mendel|date=August 31, 2018|title=Insane Arsonists: An Early 21st Century Sample|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1556-4029.13902|journal=Journal of Forensic Sciences|language=en|volume=64|issue=2|pages=454–459|doi=10.1111/1556-4029.13902|issn=0022-1198|url-access=subscription}}</ref>. Some arsonists have been committed to psychiatric hospitals instead of prison<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gross |first=Jane |date=1999-07-29 |title=Malcolm Shabazz Flees Detention |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/29/nyregion/malcolm-shabazz-flees-detention.html |access-date=2026-04-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>.

Additional reasons for arson include an attempt to conceal another crime like robbery or homicide<ref>{{Cite news |title=Missing Oroville woman's body found in Plumas County |url=https://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/news/missing-oroville-womans-body-found-in-plumas-county-571427261.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403012336/https://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/news/missing-oroville-womans-body-found-in-plumas-county-571427261.html |archive-date=2021-04-03 |access-date=2026-04-18 |work=KHSL News |language=en}}</ref><ref>B A McMullin, J E Moss, F Muller, J W Price, R D Robinson, D L Seyse, D A Thompson, M J Van Keuren, R F Wagner, D L Zoellick, "[https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/arson-conceal-other-crimes Arson To Conceal Other Crimes]", U.S. Department of Justice, 1983; accessed 2025.01.24.</ref>. These attempts are often unsuccessful at hiding blunt trauma<ref>{{Cite news |date=2009-06-16 |title=Raymond Eugene Johnson |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/okmulgee-daily-times-raymond-eugene-john/104801079/ |access-date=2026-04-18 |work=Okmulgee Daily Times |pages=2}}</ref>, stab wounds, and gunshot wounds. Medical examiners may use a blood test and/or look for soot in the esophagus, lungs or mouth to check if the decedent was alive at the time of a fire<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Žiūkaitė |first=Gabrielė |last2=Jasaitė |first2=Marta |last3=Chmieliauskas |first3=Sigitas |last4=Vasiljevaitė |first4=Diana |last5=Laima |first5=Sigitas |last6=Banionis |first6=Dalius |last7=Stasiūnienė |first7=Jurgita |date=2023-05-16 |title=Homicides Disguised as Fire Deaths |url=https://www.journals.vu.lt/AML/article/view/30553 |journal=Acta medica Lituanica |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=10 |doi=10.15388/Amed.2023.30.1.10 |issn=2029-4174 |pmc=10417010 |pmid=37575373}}</ref>.

== By region == Arson exists in a variety of legal definitions worldwide. In many counties, including the Commonwealth, France,<ref>https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000006418281</ref> "arson" generally refers to a subsection of criminal or property damage. Generally, offenses are more severe when human lives were endangered. Some countries like Scotland differentiate the act of arson into wilful fire raising (the damage to property) and culpable and reckless conduct (injury to a person).

=== English common law === English common law defines arson as "the malicious burning of the dwelling of another".<ref>{{Cite dictionary|dictionary = Black's Law Dictionary|year = 2009|edition = 9th|title = Arson|quote = At common law, the malicious burning of someone else's dwelling house or outhouse that is either appurtenant to the dwelling house or within the curtilage.}}</ref>

This definition has four elements:{{pb}}

==== Malicious ==== :{{pb}}For purposes of common law arson, "malicious" refers to intention of starting the fire. Fires can be started on purpose or by accident. In either case, there is legal precedent to charge the guilty person with arson whether their intention was to start a fire or not. "Malicious" in this case is describing the intention of the arsonist as ill-intentioned and intending to cause harm or death.{{pb}}

==== Burning ==== :{{pb}}According to common law, charring to any part of a dwelling was sufficient to satisfy this element. No significant amount of damage to the dwelling was required. Any injury or damage to the structure caused by exposure to heat or flame is sufficient.{{pb}}

==== Of the dwelling ==== :{{pb}}'Dwelling' refers to a place of residence. The destruction of an unoccupied building was not considered arson: "since arson protected habitation, the burning of an unoccupied house did not constitute arson." At common law, a structure did not become a residence until the first occupants had moved in, and ceased to be a dwelling if the occupants abandoned the premises with no intention of resuming their residency.<ref>Boyce & Perkins, ''Criminal Law'', 3rd ed. (1992), pp. 280, 281.</ref> 'Dwelling' includes structures and outbuildings within the curtilage.<ref name="Boyce 1992">Boyce & Perkins, ''Criminal Law'', 3rd ed. (1992), pp. 281.</ref> Dwellings were not limited to houses. A barn could be the subject of arson if occupied as a dwelling.{{pb}}

==== Of another ==== :{{pb}}Burning one's own dwelling does not constitute common law arson, even if the purpose were to collect insurance, because "it was generally assumed in early England that one had the legal right to destroy his own property in any manner he chose".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Braun |first1=William C. |title=Legal Aspects of Arson |journal=Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology |date=1952 |volume=43 |issue=1 |page=53}}</ref> Moreover, for purposes of common law arson, possession or occupancy rather than title determines whose dwelling the structure is.<ref name="Boyce 1992" /> Thus a tenant who sets fire to his rented house would not be guilty of common law arson,<ref name="Boyce 1992" /> while the landlord who set fire to a rented dwelling house he owned would be guilty.

===United States=== [[File:THE SABOTEUR'S FAVORITE WEAPON IS ARSON - NARA - 515637.jpg|left|thumb|A U.S. World War II era arson poster. The image seen above was created out of fear of arson attacks during World War II. Once the war ended, Smokey Bear made his debut because fire safety was more of a concern than acts of arson.]]In the United States, the common law elements of arson are often varied in different jurisdictions. For example, the element of "dwelling" is no longer required in most states, and arson occurs by the burning of any real property without consent or with unlawful intent.<ref>See ''U.S. v. Miller'', 246 Fed.Appx. 369 (C.A.6 (Tenn.) 2007); ''U.S. v. Velasquez-Reyes'', 427 F.3d 1227, 1230–1231 and n. 2 (9th Cir.2005).</ref>

====Degrees==== Arson is prosecuted with attention to degree of severity<ref name="CSUMB">{{cite web |title=Campus Crime: Crime Codes and Degree of Severity |url=http://www.csumb.edu/site/x7006.xml |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224000233/http://www.csumb.edu/site/x7006.xml|archive-date=December 24, 2008|access-date=May 10, 2008|publisher=California State University, Monterey Bay}}</ref> in the alleged offense, but some states do not categorize arson by any degree. In the state of Tennessee, arson is categorized as "arson" and "aggravated arson".

First degree arson<ref>See U.S. v. Miller, 246 Fed.Appx. 369 (C.A.6 (Tenn.) 2007)</ref> generally occurs when people are harmed or killed in the course of the fire, while second degree arson occurs when significant destruction of property occurs.<ref name="Burning Man">{{cite news |last=Garofoli|first=Joe|date=September 1, 2007|title=Suspect in Burning Man arson decries event's loss of spontaneity|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/01/MN8LRTBBN.DTL|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080425202119/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2007%2F09%2F01%2FMN8LRTBBN.DTL|archive-date=April 25, 2008|access-date=May 11, 2008|work=San Francisco Chronicle|page=A8}}</ref> While usually a felony, arson may also be prosecuted as a misdemeanor,<ref name="Nebraska">{{cite web |title=Reason for Referral|url=http://www.ncc.state.ne.us/statistics/data_search/jcr/jcr_referrals.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503065349/http://www.ncc.state.ne.us/statistics/data_search/jcr/jcr_referrals.htm|archive-date=May 3, 2008|access-date=May 11, 2008|publisher=Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice}}</ref> "criminal mischief", or "destruction of property."<ref name="Salinas">{{cite news |date=January 25, 2008|title=Man accused of arson pleads to misdemeanor charges|url=http://www.saljournal.com/rdnews/story/Salinan_pleads_no_contest_to_misdemeanor_charges_1_25_08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222082858/http://www.saljournal.com/rdnews/story/Salinan_pleads_no_contest_to_misdemeanor_charges_1_25_08|archive-date=December 22, 2008|access-date=May 11, 2008|work=The Salina Journal}}</ref> Burglary also occurs, if the arson involved a "breaking and entering".<ref>3 Charles E. Torcia, ''Wharton's Criminal Law'' § 326 (14th ed. 1980)</ref> A person may be sentenced to death if arson occurred as a method of homicide, as was the case in California of Raymond Lee Oyler and in Texas of Cameron Todd Willingham. In several U.S. state legal systems (and nations like France) arson is divided into degrees depending the value of the property. It may also include additional penalties if the crime was committed in the day or night.

* '''First-degree arson''' – Burning an occupied structure such as a school or a place where people are normally present * '''Second-degree arson''' – Burning an unoccupied building such as an empty barn or an unoccupied house or other structure to claim insurance on such property * '''Third-degree arson''' – Burning an abandoned building or an abandoned area, such as a field, forest or woods.

Many statutes vary the degree of the crime according to the criminal intent of the accused. Some US states use other degrees of arson, such as "fourth" and "fifth" degree,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nagel|first1=Ilene H.|date=1983|title=The Legal/Extra-Legal Controversy: Judicial Decisions in Pretrial Release|url=https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3075&context=facpub|url-status=live|journal=Law & Society Review|volume=17|issue=3|pages=481–516|doi=10.2307/3053590|jstor=3053590|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201045020/https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3075&context=facpub|archive-date=December 1, 2019|access-date=September 24, 2019}}</ref>

In New York, arson is charged in five degrees. Arson in the first degree is a Class A-1 felony and requires the intent to burn the building with a person inside using an explosive incendiary device. In New York, the criminal charge of arson includes a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.findlaw.com/state/new-york-law/new-york-arson-laws.html|title=New York Arson Laws|first1=FindLaw or one of our contributing authors We make every effort to keep our articles updated For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting|last1=you|first2=Please Contact an Attorney in Your|last2=Area}}</ref>

In California, a conviction for arson of property that is not one's own is a felony punishable by up to three years in state prison. Aggravated arson, which carries the most severe punishment for arson, is punishable by 10 years to life in state prison. A well-known example of arson which took place in California is the Esperanza Fire. Raymond Lee Oyler was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to death for a 2006 fire in southern California that led to the deaths of five U.S. Forest Service firefighters; he was the first U.S. citizen to receive such a conviction and penalty for wildfire arson.<ref>{{cite news |date=Jan–Feb 2011 |title=Getting Tough on Arson |publisher=Utne Reader |page=13}}</ref>

Some states, such as California, prosecute the lesser offense of reckless burning when the fire is set recklessly as opposed to willfully and maliciously. The study of the causes is the subject of fire investigation. A recent example of a reckless burning offense is the El Dorado fire which took place in 2020 in California. This fire was caused by a gender reveal party which utilized a smoke bomb which is categorized as unsafe pyrotechnics. The El Dorado fire burned over a 71-day period, destroyed 20 structures and resulted in one firefighter fatality, for which the couple hosting the party were charged with involuntary manslaughter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-11 |title=Father in gender-reveal that sparked fatal 2020 California wildfire has pleaded guilty |url=https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-gender-reveal-california-el-dorado-b9f3f9b9cd4a1d8ae43654c4a5cdf453 |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> The El Dorado Fire ultimately resulted in the death of firefighter Charles "Charlie" Morton, who became trapped while attempting to fight the fire. The DA of California considered arson charges for the family members as they were deemed negligent with regard to fire safety.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rokos |first=Brian |date=January 11, 2022 |title=Doomed El Dorado firefighter's last words: trapped in a 'corner' |url=https://www.sbsun.com/2022/01/11/doomed-el-dorado-firefighters-last-words-trapped-in-a-corner/ |access-date=March 27, 2023 |website=San Bernardino Sun}}</ref>

During World War II arson was a much higher concern in the United States. There was a severe lack of firefighters due to World War Two. There were few men left behind to help combat forest fires. For example, during WW II in Eldora, Iowa, a fire chief reported that his regular membership shrank from 21 to 9 men and their fire fighting force recruited retired members and new members to fill the missing positions during the war.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-12-07 |title=The International Fire Service and World War II - Fire Engineering: Firefighter Training and Fire Service News, Rescue |url=https://www.fireengineering.com/apparatus-equipment/international-fire-service-ww2/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> There were additional concerns about wildfires on the west coast, especially following the 1942 Fu-Go balloon bomb incidents. Rather than report on the incendiary bombs, the Office of Censorship instead focuses efforts on "reducing forest fires".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mikesh |first=Robert C. |date=1973 |title=Japan's World War II balloon bomb attacks on North America |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5479/si.AnnalsFlight.9 |language=en}}</ref>

On April 7, 2026 in City of Ontario, California, a warehouse employee was arrested<ref>{{Cite web |title=UPDATE: Commercial Fire at the Kimberly-Clark Warehouse {{!}} City of Ontario, California |url=https://www.ontarioca.gov/news/update-commercial-fire-kimberly-clark-warehouse |access-date=2026-04-11 |website=www.ontarioca.gov |language=en}}</ref> on suspicion of arson after a large fire broke out in a Kimberly-Clark paper-goods warehouse.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-04-07 |title=Employee accused of arson after paper goods warehouse destroyed in massive fire in Ontario |url=https://abc7.com/post/employee-arrested-arson-kimberly-clark-distribition-center-destroyed-massive-fire-ontario/18851549/ |access-date=2026-04-11 |website=ABC7 Los Angeles |language=en}}</ref> The suspect reportedly filmed the incident and uploaded the footage to social media while saying "If you're not going to pay us enough to fucking live or afford to live, at least pay us enough not to do this".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-04-08 |title=New video appears to show start of Ontario warehouse fire, may reveal motive |url=https://abc7.com/post/new-video-toilet-paper-being-set-fire-reviewed-part-ontario-arson-investigation/18856842/ |access-date=2026-04-11 |website=ABC7 Los Angeles |language=en}}</ref> Three days later, on April 10, a second suspect was arrested on charges of arson after setting several small fires at the Ontario Mills mall. It is unknown if the two incidents were related.<ref>{{Cite web |title=INCIDENT: Suspect Arrested in Ontario Mills Fire {{!}} City of Ontario, California |url=https://www.ontarioca.gov/news/incident-suspect-arrested-ontario-mills-fire |access-date=2026-04-11 |website=www.ontarioca.gov |language=en}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" |+Notable instances of arson in the United States !Year !Incident !Death !Injuries !Motivation |- |1973 |UpStairs Lounge arson attack |32 |15 |Property damage (suspected) |- |1995 |Murder of Amanda Froistad |1 |0 |Concealment of a crime (Child molestation)<ref>{{Cite web |title = Murder, She Read - Nymag|date=1998-05-11|url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/crimelaw/features/2668/|access-date=2026-04-06|website=New York Magazine|language=en}}</ref> |- |1982 |Dorothy Mae Apartment-Hotel fire |25 |30 |Property damage (personal argument)<ref>"Man Sentenced to 625 Years for 25 Deaths in Dorothy Mae Fire". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2023-04-14. [https://apnews.com/article/fd9d98d8c021b3f7f7ecaa189d5083c9 (dead)]</ref> |- |1908 |Lynching of the Walker family |7-8 |0-1 |Murder, Lynching<ref>Jama McMurtery Grove, "Uneasy Waters: The Night Riders at Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, 1908"], 2012, East Tennessee University; Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1496. <nowiki>http://dc.etsu.edu</nowiki> etd/1496</ref> |- |1986 |Dupont Plaza Hotel arson |99 |140 |Property damage (Labor dispute)<ref>Davis, George. "The DuPont Tragedy Revisited" ([https://www.ccgtcc-ccn.com/DupontPlaza.pdf PDF]). Casino Collectible News. Retrieved December 31, 2021.</ref> |- |1990 |Happy Land fire |87 |7 |Revenge<ref>{{Cite web |title=Happy Land mass murderer Julio Gonzalez denied parole on eve of horrific Bronx inferno’s tragic 25th anniversary |date=2015-03-18 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/03/18/happy-land-mass-murderer-julio-gonzalez-denied-parole-on-eve-of-horrific-bronx-infernos-tragic-25th-anniversary/|access-date=2026-04-07|website=New York Daily News|language=en-US}}</ref> |} {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" |+Notable serial arsonists in the United States !Name !Suspected motivation !Years active !Deaths !Fires |- |John Leonard Orr |Thrill seeking (Firefighter arson) |1984 - 1991 |4 |21<ref>{{Cite web |title=Firehouse.Com: Sept 98 Archive: More Progress Reports|url=https://www.firehouse.com/magazine/archives/1998/September/progress2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991007180848/https://www.firehouse.com/magazine/archives/1998/September/progress2.html|archive-date=1999-10-07|access-date=2026-04-07|website=www.firehouse.com}}</ref> |- |David Berkowitz |Thrill seeking |1974 - 1977 |Unknown |2000+<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 9, 1978|title='Berkowitz Bares Self as Pyro 'Phantom of Bronx'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/482803127/|access-date=2026-04-07|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=New York Daily News|language=en-US}}</ref> |- |Thomas Sweatt |Thrill seeking |2002 - 2004 |2 |46+<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2016 |title=ATF History - DC Area Serial Arsonist |url=https://www.atf.gov/our-history/historical-articles/dc-area-serial-arsonist |website=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives}}</ref> |- |Raymond Lee Oyler |Thrill seeking |2006 |5 |23<ref>{{Cite web |title=TBT, 10 years ago: Oyler convicted for Esperanza fire deaths – Wildfire Today|url=https://wildfiretoday.com/tbt-10-years-ago-oyler-convicted-for-esperanza-fire-deaths/|access-date=2026-04-07|website=wildfiretoday.com}}</ref> |- |Paul Kenneth Keller |Thrill seeking |1992 - 1993 |3 |32<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kitsap Sun and Kitsap Sun|title=Keller sentenced to 99 years for fire deaths|url=http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/1994/Mar/11/keller-sentenced-to-99-years-for-fire-deaths/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713161933/http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/1994/Mar/11/keller-sentenced-to-99-years-for-fire-deaths/|archive-date=2011-07-13|access-date=2026-04-07|work=Kitsap Sun}}</ref> |}[[File:Sherwood Gardens Riots 03.jpg|thumb|left|Cars damaged by arson in Millwall, Tower Hamlets, London, during the 2011 England Riots]]

=== England and overseas territories === {{See also|Criminal damage in English law#Arson}}In English law, arson was a common law offence until 1971 (except for the offence of arson in royal dockyards).<ref>{{Cite book |author=William Blackstone|author-link=William Blackstone|title=Commentaries on the Laws of England|publisher=Clarendon Press (reproduced on The Avalon Project at Yale Law School)|year=1765–1769|location=Oxford|chapter=Of Offenses against the Habitations of Individuals [Book the Fourth, Chapter the Sixteenth]|access-date=June 1, 2008|chapter-url=http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/blackstone/bk4ch16.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503193949/http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/blackstone/bk4ch16.htm|archive-date=May 3, 2008|url-status=dead}}.</ref> The common law offence was abolished by section 11 (1) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971.<ref>{{cite web |title=Criminal Damage Act 1971|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1971/cukpga_19710048_en_1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208130922/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1971/cukpga_19710048_en_1|archive-date=December 8, 2009|access-date=March 24, 2010}}</ref> Section four of the Act provides a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for conviction.

A variety of notable arsons have occurred in England. In 1680 Margaret Clark and her accomplice John Satterthwayt burned down her employers home. Clark blamed her actions on pride and breaking the sabbath.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Clark|first=S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ayDDAAAQBAJ&q=margaret%20clark&pg=PA38#v=snippet&q=margaret%20clark&f=false|title=Women and Crime in the Street Literature of Early Modern England|date=2003-10-24|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-0-230-00062-9|language=en}}</ref> In 1791 in Birmingham, the Priestley Riots destroyed several buildings. Between 1912 and 1914 women's suffragists like Emmeline Pankhurst, Emily Davison, and other women in Great Britain and Ireland launched a campaign of arson and bombings to obtain the vote for women.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Webb|first=Simon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w2RtBQAAQBAJ|title=The Suffragette Bombers: Britain's Forgotten Terrorists|date=2014-07-02|publisher=Pen & Sword History|isbn=978-1-78340-064-5|language=en}}</ref> Peter Dinsdale AKA Bruce George Peter Lee, confessed to a total of 11 acts of arson, pleading guilty to 26 counts of manslaughter. The fires were set from 1972 to 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A city's memories branded in fire of killer's reign of terror 30 years ago - Features - Yorkshire Post|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/features/a-city-s-memories-branded-in-fire-of-killer-s-reign-of-terror-30-years-ago-1-2314856|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007140448/http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/features/a-city-s-memories-branded-in-fire-of-killer-s-reign-of-terror-30-years-ago-1-2314856|archive-date=2012-10-07|access-date=2026-04-08|website=www.yorkshirepost.co.uk|language=en-GB}}</ref> Michelle Confait was murdered in London in 1972 and her house was set alight.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Report of an inquiry into the death of Maxwell Confait|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-of-an-inquiry-into-the-death-of-maxwell-confait|access-date=2026-04-08|website=GOV.UK|language=en}}</ref> In 2008, two students were found murdered in a flat in New Cross. The killer set the flat on fire to hide evidence.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-07-12|title=Second man charged over murders|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7503774.stm|access-date=2026-04-08|language=en-GB}}</ref> In 1981 thirteen teenagers died as the result of a fire started at a house party in New Cross, the cause of which has been speculated to be arson (both investigations returned an open verdict).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pallister|first=David|date=2004-05-07|title=Coroner repeats open verdict on New Cross fire|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/may/07/ukcrime.race|access-date=2026-04-08|work=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==== Hong Kong ==== In Hong Kong, the common law offence was abolished by s 67 of the Crimes Ordinance 1971 (Part VIII of which, as amended by Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance 1972,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Legco.gov.hk|url=http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr71-72/h720705.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307203859/https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr71-72/h720705.pdf|archive-date=March 7, 2021|access-date=June 15, 2016}}</ref> mirrored the English Criminal Damage Act 1971).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hklii.hk|url=http://www.hklii.hk/eng/hk/legis/ord/200/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225161001/https://www.hklii.hk/eng/hk/legis/ord/200/|archive-date=February 25, 2021|access-date=June 15, 2016}}</ref> Like the English counterparts, 63 of the 1972 Ordinance provides a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and s 60(3) of the Ordinance requires that if the damage is by fire the offence should be charged as arson.

A Molotov cocktail damaged a metro station during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests.<ref>{{Cite web |last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|title=Hong Kong protests: Molotov cocktails thrown in metro station {{!}} DW {{!}} 12.10.2019|url=https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-protests-molotov-cocktails-thrown-in-metro-station/a-50806459|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930151429/https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-protests-molotov-cocktails-thrown-in-metro-station/a-50806459|archive-date=2022-09-30|access-date=2026-04-08|website=DW.COM|language=en}}</ref>

==== Northern Ireland ==== Fire bombs, molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices were commonly used by militants during The Troubles.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-12|title=What set Northern Ireland's Troubles alight?|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-49279389|access-date=2026-04-08|website=www.bbc.com|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-30|title=The Troubles: When Belfast children fled the city|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-58193536|access-date=2026-04-08|website=www.bbc.com|language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2025 several buildings were destroyed along with motorbikes and vehicles in a riot following a sexual assault.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnston|first=Neil|date=June 11, 2025|title=How tinderbox Ballymena exploded into anti-migrant riots|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/11/how-tinderbox-northern-ireland-exploded-anti-migrant-riots/|access-date=2026-04-08|website=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>

=== Myanmar === In the Burmese legal system, arson is considered "mischief by fire" under sections 435 and 436 of the Myanmar Penal Code and punishable by fine and imprisonment.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=2016-07-01|title=The Penal Code|url=https://www.mlis.gov.mm/lsScPop.do?lawordSn=9506%20|website=Myanmar Law Information System}}</ref> The statutes were last amended on 1 July 2016, and made arson on houses and buildings punishable with up to 20 years in prison.<ref name=":02" />

A number of buildings were set on fire during the U Thant funeral crisis in 1974.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maung|first=Mya|date=1990-06-01|title=The Burma Road from the Union of Burma to Myanmar|url=https://doi.org/10.2307/2644909|journal=Asian Survey|volume=30|issue=6|pages=602–624|doi=10.2307/2644909|issn=0004-4687|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 2013 a series of riots resulted in a number of arson related deaths after anti-Muslim riots.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-08-25|title=Burma violence: Rioters burn Muslim homes and shops|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-23831382|access-date=2026-04-08|work=BBC News|language=en-GB}}</ref>

The Burmese military has long used arson as a weapon of war against civilians.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mirza|first1=Atthar|last2=Moriarty|first2=Dylan|title='Burn it all down': How Myanmar's military razed villages to crush a growing resistance|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2021/myanmar-military-burn-villages-tatmadaw/|access-date=2023-03-15|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-03|title=Satellite Data Raise Fears Myanmar's Army Setting Towns Ablaze|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/11/03/satellite-data-raise-fears-myanmars-army-setting-towns-ablaze|access-date=2023-03-15|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}</ref> Between the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and August 2022, military forces committed arson on 28,434 houses in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sai|first=Ko|date=2022-08-29|title=Over 28,000 Homes Torched by Myanmar Junta Forces Since Coup|url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/over-28000-homes-torched-by-myanmar-junta-forces-since-coup.html|access-date=2023-03-15|website=The Irrawaddy|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Scotland=== {{main|Wilful fire raising}}

While the Scottish legal system has no offence known as arson statutorily defined, there are many offences that are used to charge those with acts that would normally constitute arson in other nations. Events constituting arson in English and Welsh law might be dealt with as one or more of a variety of offences such as wilful fire-raising, culpable and reckless conduct, vandalism or other offences depending on the circumstances of the event. The more serious offences (in particular wilful fire-raising and culpable and reckless conduct) can incur a sentence of life imprisonment.

In 2023, three young boys were charged in connection with the Ayr Station Hotel fire.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A third person has been arrested and charged in connection with a fire at the Station Hotel in Ayr.|url=https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2023/september/third-arrest-following-fire-at-station-hotel-ayr/|access-date=2026-04-08|website=Police Scotland|language=en}}</ref>

In Kilmarnock, two boys were arrested after accidentally burning down several buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-18|title=Second 12-year-old charged over Kilmarnock shops fire|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yl3ek1l4vo|access-date=2026-04-08|website=BBC News|language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Ireland === Ireland differentiates how it charges arson not by degree but rather by what is being destroyed and if anyone was harmed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Book (eISB)|first=electronic Irish Statute|title=electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB)|url=https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1861/act/97/enacted/en/print.html|access-date=2024-03-05|website=www.irishstatutebook.ie|language=en}}</ref> For example, while the sentence for setting fire to a building can be life imprisonment, the sentence for setting fire to goods in a building can only be up to fourteen years.[https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1861/act/97/enacted/en/print.html#:~:text=6.-,Whosoever%20shall%20unlawfully%20and%20maliciously%20set%20fire%20to%20any%20building,%2C%20.%20.%20.%20or%20to%20be]

A notable historical act of arson in Ireland is the burning of Wildgoose Lodge, which resulted in the arrest, sentencing, and execution of 18 men, many of whom were innocent.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Muirí|first=Réamonn Ó|date=1986|title=The Burning of Wildgoose Lodge: A Selection of Documents|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27729616|journal=Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society|volume=21|issue=2|pages=117–147|doi=10.2307/27729616|issn=0070-1327|jstor=27729616|url-access=subscription}}</ref> More recently, the 2023 Dublin riot involved instances of arson, with many such acts targeting vehicles.

Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin, Irish nobleman and soldier, known as ''Murchadh na dTóiteán'' ("Murrough the Burner") for his role in the Sack of Cashel and other similar atrocities during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

==Other notable arsonists== [[File:WP Melac.jpg|thumb|210px|French General Mélac became notorious for burning cities and farms in southwestern Germany during the Nine Years' War.]] * Herostratus, accused of setting fire to the Temple of Artemis in 356 BCE. * Zayd ibn Musa al-Kazim, whose reign was characterized by a pogrom against the supporters of the Abbasids in 815 and 816, which earned him the nickname ''Zayd al-Nar'' ('Zayd of the Fire') due to the large numbers of houses belonging to Abbasid family members or their followers that he torched.{{sfn|Bosworth|1987|pp=26–27}} * John Magno and several others were responsible for the Woodbine Building Supply fire in 2001. * Francisco Ignacio Mondaca and Francisco Pinto were responsible for starting the 2024 Chile wildfires that killed 137 people. {{further|Category:Arsonists|Category:Buildings and structures destroyed by arson|Category:Arson deaths}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

===Works cited=== * {{The History of al-Tabari|volume=32}}

==Further reading== * {{Cite book|title=Community Involvement in and Management of Forest Fires in South East Asia |url=http://www.asiaforests.org/doc/resources/fire/pffsea/Report_Community.pdf |year=2002 |publisher=Project FireFight South East Asia |last=Karki |first=Sameer |access-date=February 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225154641/http://www.asiaforests.org/doc/resources/fire/pffsea/Report_Community.pdf |archive-date=February 25, 2009 |url-status=usurped }} * White, J. & Dalby, J. T., 2000. "Arson". In D. Mercer, T. Mason, M. McKeown, G. McCann (Eds.) ''Forensic Mental Health Care''. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingston. {{ISBN|0-443-06140-8}}

==External links== *{{Wiktionary-inline|arson}} *{{Commons category-inline|Arsons}} * [http://www.firesafe.org.uk/how-to-combat-arson/ How to combat arson] * [https://archive.org/details/JennSingleton An actual Arson Investigation Report]

Category:Arson Category:Fire Category:Crimes Category:Property crimes Category:Common law offences in Ireland Category:Organized crime activity Category:Terrorism tactics Category:Attacks by method Category:Articles containing video clips