WESTPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT P.O. Box 3470 Westport, MA 02790

508-672-0721(main) 508-672-0287(fax)

Juvenile Fire Setting Facts

Fires set by juveniles in Massachusetts during 2005 176 Reported Fires 2 Civilian Deaths 15 Civilian Injuries 8 Fire Service Injuries

These are reported numbers This number is far below the real number of fires set by juveniles. Children in intervention programs state that they set many “small” fires before they were

caught.

Other Facts Children don’t understand how dangerous fire is, and how fast it can grow

Things to know about youth fire setting

Children set 20-40% of all fires. Youth fire-setting is the leading cause of death for children in the

home. Nationally, more juveniles are involved in arson than any other

crime. In Houston, children under 10 set more fires than any other age

group. 75-81% of youth that have played with fire will do it again if not provided the proper

education. In Houston over 30% of the youth that have participated in the SAFETY Program have admitted to being involved in more than one fire incident.

Youth fire-setters are often intelligent, yet many have ADHD or another type of learning disability.

Why do children set fires?

Curiosity: Children who play with fire in order to learn about it. Often these youths are between the ages of 3 to 7.

Crisis: Children who set fire as a result of a stressful event or situation (change in family structure, divorce, etc.). The youths are usually between the ages of 5 to 10 and willingly admit to setting the fire.

Delinquent: Youth who usually act in groups of peers and set fires to oppose authority. Typically, these are adolescents.

Pathological: Fire-setters who are involved in numerous fires with the behavior increasing over years. These youths typically deny involvement. They often have emotional or psychological problems. These cases are rare and account for only 5% of fire-setters.