Shirt a Phobia

Sample Page

“Arsonists” redirects here. For other uses, see Arsonists (disambiguation).
This article is about the crime. For other uses, see Arson (disambiguation).

The remains of Kyoto Animation Studio 1 after being set ablaze by an arsonist

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.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3] Reckless burning is legally distinct from arson in some jurisdictions, but generally referrers to cases where an individual causes a fire which results in death, destruction of property, or injury, through negligence or inattention.[4]

Arson of a mosque in the Palestinian village of Mu’arrajat by Hilltop Youth, February 2025

Arsonists may set fires during riots,[5] civil unrest,[6] ethnic cleansing[7] or war.[8] An arsonist may commit the crime as an act of war, terrorism,[9] for financial gain (i.e., insurance fraud[10]), emotional satisfaction (i.e., firefighter arson,[11] personal entertainment,[12] retribution,[13] or revenge), or in the concealment of another crime like robbery or homicide.[14][15] Fire 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.[16]

Etymology

The term derives from Law French arsoun (late 13th century), from Old French arsion, from Late Latin ārsiōnem “a burning,” (acc.) from the verb ardēre, “to burn.”[17][18][19]

The Old English term was bærnet, lit. “burning”; and Edward Coke has indictment of burning (1640). Arsonist is from 1864.[20]

Insurance fraud

A common motive for arson is to commit insurance fraud. In such cases, a person destroys their own property by burning it and then lies about the cause to collect against their insurance policy.

An example of insurance fraud being the motivating factor for an act of arson is the case for Operation Firebird.[21] 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 between 2014 and 2018 were exposed as acts of arson. Using chicken left in boiling frying oil, the convicted criminals would make fire seem like a cooking accident. Then, the group committed insurance fraud by filing 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 and ended when authorities were tipped off as to where the location of the next planned incident would take place. Police then performed an investigation dubbed Operation Firebird with the San Jose Fire Department. According to a 2019 Press Release from the California Department of Insurance, Tyler and Kim Chen, Ha Nguyen, Sandy Ngo, Duyen Pham, and Trang Huynh were all convicted of various degrees of arson and insurance fraud.

Tyler Chen was convicted of five separate counts of arson and two separate counts of insurance fraud in Santa Clara County in 2018. Tyler Chen’s wife, Kim Chen, was convicted of two counts of insurance fraud in Santa Clara county.[22]

By region

Arson exists in a variety of legal definitions worldwide. In many counties, including the Commonwealth, France,[23] “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”.[24]

This definition has four elements:

Malicious

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.

Burning

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.

Of the dwelling

‘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.[25] ‘Dwelling’ includes structures and outbuildings within the curtilage.[26] Dwellings were not limited to houses. A barn could be the subject of arson if occupied as a dwelling.

Of another

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”.[27] Moreover, for purposes of common law arson, possession or occupancy rather than title determines whose dwelling the structure is.[26] Thus a tenant who sets fire to his rented house would not be guilty of common law arson,[26] while the landlord who set fire to a rented dwelling house he owned would be guilty.

United States

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.[28]

Degrees

Arson is prosecuted with attention to degree of severity[29] 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[30] 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.[31] While usually a felony, arson may also be prosecuted as a misdemeanor,[32] “criminal mischief“, or “destruction of property.”[33] Burglary also occurs, if the arson involved a “breaking and entering”.[34] 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,[35]

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.[36]

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.[37]

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.[38] 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.[39]

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.[40] 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”.[41]

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.[36]

On April 7, 2026 in City of Ontario, California, a warehouse employee was arrested[42] on suspicion of arson after a large fire broke out in a Kimberly-Clark paper-goods warehouse.[43] 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”.[44] 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.[45]

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)[46]
1982 Dorothy Mae Apartment-Hotel fire 25 30 Property damage (personal argument)[47]
1908 Lynching of the Walker family 7-8 0-1 Murder, Lynching[48]
1986 Dupont Plaza Hotel arson 99 140 Property damage (Labor dispute)[49]
1990 Happy Land fire 87 7 Revenge[50]
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[51]
David Berkowitz Thrill seeking 1974 – 1977 Unknown 2000+[52]
Thomas Sweatt Thrill seeking 2002 – 2004 2 46+[53]
Raymond Lee Oyler Thrill seeking 2006 5 23[54]
Paul Kenneth Keller Thrill seeking 1992 – 1993 3 32[55]
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).[56] The common law offence was abolished by section 11 (1) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971.[57] 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.[58] 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.[59]

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.[60]

Michelle Confait was murdered in London in 1972 and her house was set alight.[61] New Cross double murder, Ayr Station Hotel fire

In 2008, two students were found murdered in a flat in New Cross. The killer set the flat on fire to hide evidence.[62] 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).[63]

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,[64] mirrored the English Criminal Damage Act 1971).[65] 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.[66]

Northern Ireland

Fire bombs, molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices were commonly used by militants during The Troubles.[67][68] In 2025 several buildings were destroyed along with motorbikes and vehicles in a riot following a sexual assault.[69]

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.[70] The statutes were last amended on 1 July 2016, and made arson on houses and buildings punishable with up to 20 years in prison.[70]

A number of buildings were set on fire during the U Thant funeral crisis in 1974.[71] In 2013 a series of riots resulted in a number of arson related deaths after anti-Muslim riots.[72]

The Burmese military has long used arson as a weapon of war against civilians.[73][74] Between the 2021 Myanmar coup d’état and August 2022, military forces committed arson on 28,434 houses in the country.[75]

Scotland

Main article: 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 with arson in the Ayr Station Hotel fire.[76]

In Kilmarnock, two boys were arrested after accidentally burning down several buildings.[77]

Ireland

Ireland differentiates how it charges arson not by degree but rather by what is being destroyed and if anyone was harmed.[78] 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.[1]

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.[79] 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

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.[80]
  • 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 information: Category:Arsonists, Category:Buildings and structures destroyed by arson, and Category:Arson deaths

See also


References

  1. ^ Kocsis, Richard N. (June 1, 2004). “Psychological Profiling of Serial Arson Offenses an Assessment of Skills and Accuracy”. Criminal Justice and Behavior. doi:10.1177/0093854803262586. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  2. ^ “California Code, PEN 451”. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  3. ^ Burton, Paul R.; McNiel, Dale E.; Binder, Renée L. (November 2012). “Firesetting, arson, pyromania, and the forensic mental health expert” (PDF). Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 40 (3): 355–365. PMID 22960918. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2019.
  4. ^ “California Code, PEN 452”. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  5. ^ Times, James Tuite Special To the New York (November 9, 1963). “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”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  6. ^ “Third night of trouble in Paris suburb following teenage deaths – Yahoo! News”. news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  7. ^ Dekel-Chen, Jonathan; Gaunt, David; Meir, Natan M.; Bartal, Israel (November 26, 2010). Anti-Jewish Violence: Rethinking the Pogrom in East European History. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-00478-9.
  8. ^ United States. War Department. 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, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
  9. ^ Atkinson, Diane (February 7, 2019). Rise Up Women!: The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ISBN 978-1-4088-4405-2.
  10. ^ Zalma, Barry (January 8, 2014). “Fraud Proved – Lie About Cause Of Fire Sufficient to Support Guilty Verdict”. LexisNexis. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  11. ^ “Firefighters who start fires: a look at the phenomenon of ‘firefighter arson‘”. Edmonton Journal. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
  12. ^ “The Spokesman-Review – Google News Archive Search”. news.google.com. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  13. ^ “Man Sentenced to 625 Years for 25 Deaths in Dorothy Mae Fire”. AP NEWS. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  14. ^ “Murder, She Read – Nymag”. New York Magazine. May 11, 1998. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  15. ^ 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, “Arson To Conceal Other Crimes“, U.S. Department of Justice, 1983; accessed 2025.01.24.
  16. ^ Almirall, José R.; Furton, Kenneth G., eds. (2004). Analysis and interpretation of fire scene evidence. Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0849378850. OCLC 53360702.
  17. ^ “arson”. Online Etymology Dictionary. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  18. ^ Various. Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D). Library of Alexandria. ISBN 9781465562883. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2020 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ “Definition of arson – Dictionary.com”. www.dictionary.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  20. ^ Murray, James Augustus Henry; Craigie, Sir William Alexander; Onions, Charles Talbut (December 2, 1888). “A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles”. www.books.google.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  21. ^ “Ringleader of family arson crew pleads guilty in $4 million Operation Firebird insurance fraud case”. www.insurance.ca.gov. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  22. ^ Chan, Nicholas (November 19, 2019). “Couple Pleads Guilty in $4M Arson, Insurance Fraud Case”. San Jose Inside. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  23. ^ https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000006418281
  24. ^ “Arson”. Black’s Law Dictionary (9th ed.). 2009. 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.
  25. ^ Boyce & Perkins, Criminal Law, 3rd ed. (1992), pp. 280, 281.
  26. ^ a b c Boyce & Perkins, Criminal Law, 3rd ed. (1992), pp. 281.
  27. ^ Braun, William C. (1952). “Legal Aspects of Arson”. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 43 (1): 53.
  28. ^ 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).
  29. ^ “Campus Crime: Crime Codes and Degree of Severity”. California State University, Monterey Bay. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
  30. ^ See U.S. v. Miller, 246 Fed.Appx. 369 (C.A.6 (Tenn.) 2007)
  31. ^ Garofoli, Joe (September 1, 2007). “Suspect in Burning Man arson decries event’s loss of spontaneity”. San Francisco Chronicle. p. A8. Archived from the original on April 25, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  32. ^ “Reason for Referral”. Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  33. ^ “Man accused of arson pleads to misdemeanor charges”. The Salina Journal. January 25, 2008. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  34. ^ 3 Charles E. Torcia, Wharton’s Criminal Law § 326 (14th ed. 1980)
  35. ^ Nagel, Ilene H. (1983). “The Legal/Extra-Legal Controversy: Judicial Decisions in Pretrial Release”. Law & Society Review. 17 (3): 481–516. doi:10.2307/3053590. JSTOR 3053590. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  36. ^ a b you, FindLaw or one of our contributing authors We make every effort to keep our articles updated For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting; Area, Please Contact an Attorney in Your. “New York Arson Laws”. {{cite web}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  37. ^ “Getting Tough on Arson”. Utne Reader. January–February 2011. p. 13.
  38. ^ “Father in gender-reveal that sparked fatal 2020 California wildfire has pleaded guilty”. AP News. February 11, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  39. ^ Rokos, Brian (January 11, 2022). “Doomed El Dorado firefighter’s last words: trapped in a ‘corner’“. San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  40. ^ “The International Fire Service and World War II – Fire Engineering: Firefighter Training and Fire Service News, Rescue”. December 7, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  41. ^ Mikesh, Robert C. (1973). “Japan’s World War II balloon bomb attacks on North America”. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  42. ^ “UPDATE: Commercial Fire at the Kimberly-Clark Warehouse | City of Ontario, California”. www.ontarioca.gov. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  43. ^ “Employee accused of arson after paper goods warehouse destroyed in massive fire in Ontario”. ABC7 Los Angeles. April 7, 2026. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  44. ^ “New video appears to show start of Ontario warehouse fire, may reveal motive”. ABC7 Los Angeles. April 8, 2026. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  45. ^ “INCIDENT: Suspect Arrested in Ontario Mills Fire | City of Ontario, California”. www.ontarioca.gov. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  46. ^ “Murder, She Read – Nymag”. New York Magazine. May 11, 1998. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  47. ^ “Man Sentenced to 625 Years for 25 Deaths in Dorothy Mae Fire”. AP NEWS. Retrieved 2023-04-14. (dead)
  48. ^ Jama McMurtery Grove, “Uneasy Waters: The Night Riders at Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, 1908”], 2012, East Tennessee University; Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1496. http://dc.etsu.edu etd/1496
  49. ^ Davis, George. “The DuPont Tragedy Revisited” (PDF). Casino Collectible News. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  50. ^ “Happy Land mass murderer Julio Gonzalez denied parole on eve of horrific Bronx inferno’s tragic 25th anniversary”. New York Daily News. March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  51. ^ “Firehouse.Com: Sept 98 Archive: More Progress Reports”. www.firehouse.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 1999. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  52. ^ “‘Berkowitz Bares Self as Pyro ‘Phantom of Bronx’“. Newspapers.com. New York Daily News. May 9, 1978. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  53. ^ “ATF History – DC Area Serial Arsonist”. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. September 22, 2016.
  54. ^ “TBT, 10 years ago: Oyler convicted for Esperanza fire deaths – Wildfire Today”. wildfiretoday.com. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  55. ^ Kitsap Sun and Kitsap Sun. “Keller sentenced to 99 years for fire deaths”. Kitsap Sun. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  56. ^ William Blackstone (1765–1769). “Of Offenses against the Habitations of Individuals [Book the Fourth, Chapter the Sixteenth]”. Commentaries on the Laws of England. Oxford: Clarendon Press (reproduced on The Avalon Project at Yale Law School). Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008..
  57. ^ “Criminal Damage Act 1971”. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  58. ^ Clark, S. (October 24, 2003). Women and Crime in the Street Literature of Early Modern England. Springer. ISBN 978-0-230-00062-9.
  59. ^ Webb, Simon (July 2, 2014). The Suffragette Bombers: Britain’s Forgotten Terrorists. Pen & Sword History. ISBN 978-1-78340-064-5.
  60. ^ “A city’s memories branded in fire of killer’s reign of terror 30 years ago – Features – Yorkshire Post”. www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  61. ^ “Report of an inquiry into the death of Maxwell Confait”. GOV.UK. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  62. ^ “Second man charged over murders”. July 12, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  63. ^ Pallister, David (May 7, 2004). “Coroner repeats open verdict on New Cross fire”. The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  64. ^ “Legco.gov.hk” (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  65. ^ “Hklii.hk”. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  66. ^ (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. “Hong Kong protests: Molotov cocktails thrown in metro station | DW | 12.10.2019”. DW.COM. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  67. ^ “What set Northern Ireland’s Troubles alight?”. www.bbc.com. August 12, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  68. ^ “The Troubles: When Belfast children fled the city”. www.bbc.com. August 30, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  69. ^ Johnston, Neil (June 11, 2025). “How tinderbox Ballymena exploded into anti-migrant riots”. www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  70. ^ a b “The Penal Code”. Myanmar Law Information System. July 1, 2016.
  71. ^ Maung, Mya (June 1, 1990). “The Burma Road from the Union of Burma to Myanmar”. Asian Survey. 30 (6): 602–624. doi:10.2307/2644909. ISSN 0004-4687.
  72. ^ “Burma violence: Rioters burn Muslim homes and shops”. BBC News. August 25, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  73. ^ Mirza, Atthar; Moriarty, Dylan. “‘Burn it all down’: How Myanmar’s military razed villages to crush a growing resistance”. Washington Post. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  74. ^ “Satellite Data Raise Fears Myanmar’s Army Setting Towns Ablaze”. Human Rights Watch. November 3, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  75. ^ Sai, Ko (August 29, 2022). “Over 28,000 Homes Torched by Myanmar Junta Forces Since Coup”. The Irrawaddy. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  76. ^ “A third person has been arrested and charged in connection with a fire at the Station Hotel in Ayr”. Police Scotland. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  77. ^ “Second 12-year-old charged over Kilmarnock shops fire”. BBC News. July 18, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  78. ^ Book (eISB), electronic Irish Statute. “electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB)”. www.irishstatutebook.ie. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  79. ^ Muirí, Réamonn Ó (1986). “The Burning of Wildgoose Lodge: A Selection of Documents”. Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society. 21 (2): 117–147. doi:10.2307/27729616. ISSN 0070-1327. JSTOR 27729616.
  80. ^ Bosworth 1987, pp. 26–27.

Works cited

Further reading

  • Karki, Sameer (2002). Community Involvement in and Management of Forest Fires in South East Asia (PDF). Project FireFight South East Asia. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
  • 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