Arson Facts

1. Arson takes a devastating toll on people and property in every Northwest community.
2. According to the National Fire Protection Association, nationally, arson kills more than 300 persons each year and injures thousands. More than $2 billion worth of property is destroyed by deliberately set fires.
3. We all feel the effects of arson. Arson that damages or destroys businesses starts a chain reaction of events that burden communities economically through unemployment, higher insurance premiums and reduced taxes needed to support schools, local government and other important community services.
4. An Insurance Research Council study suggests about 14 percent of arson suspects are motivated by a desire to defraud an insurance company.
5. In 2004, intentionally-set structure fires cost $714 million in property damage up 3.2 percent from 2003. There were 36,000 intentionally-set vehicle fires in 2004, up 18 percent from 2003.
6. The FBI says the average dollar loss of all types of arson was $12,017 in 2004.
7. The U.S. Senate calls arson the nation's fastest growing and most costly crime against property. Some estimates place arson growth over the past decade at more than 400 percent.
8. Vandalism is the leading cause of arson. Between 20 and 25 percent of arson fires are drug related.
9. Statistics show that nearly half of all arson fires involve children under the age of 18, and almost one-third of all arson fires involve children under 15.
10. Arson is a difficult crime to solve. Because much of the evidence is destroyed in an arson fire, only 17 percent of all arson cases result in arrest.

Sources: FBI, National Fire Protection Association, Insurance Research Council