• Arson-the act of deliberately setting fire to property for fraudulent or malicious purposes-is a crime in all states.
• Arsonists destroyed $1.5 billion in insured property, including buildings and motor vehicles, in 1998.
• Vandalism is the leading cause of arson.
• Between 20-25% of arson fires are drug-related.
• Children are responsible for almost half of the arson fires set in the US.
• Arson crimes are hard to solve-the FBI estimates that only 16% of 1998 arson cases ended in arrests.
• Motives for arson usually include direct and indirect financial gain, revenge, concealment of another crime, fun or to relieve boredom, or emotionally related causes.

According to an Insurance Research Council study, only about 14% of arson suspects are said to be motivated by a desire to defraud an insurer.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates:

• There were 76,000 deliberately set or suspicious structural fires in 1998-the lowest level in the last 11 years-down 3.2% from 78,500 in 1997.
• The 1998 estimated property loss figure of $1.2 billion was 4.6% lower than the $1.3 billion in 1997.
• There were 470 civilian deaths due to arson-an increase of 5.6% from the 445 in 1997

The Ohio Blue Ribbon Arson Committee-composed of fire fighters, police officers and insurance officials-offers rewards for information leading to the identification of the person(s) responsible for an act of arson. The fund was established in 1978, with reward money provided by the insurance industry.

Through December, 1999, 302 rewards totaling more than $275,000 have been awarded to recipients since the program's inception, many of whom request anonymity. Its efforts assisted in the successful resolution of at least 308 cases set by arsonists, 85 of which were attempts to defraud insurers. The savings to the Ohio insurance industry are in excess of $3.7 million.

The program works by placing posters at the sites of suspicious fires. Individuals with information concerning the cause of the fire call local police or fire officials, whose telephone number is listed on the poster. Awards from the fund are made by the Blue Ribbon Arson Committee.

State laws now allow for insurers and law enforcement agencies to exchange arson information, which eliminates the threat of civil suits for libel or violation of privacy.

Thanks to technological advancements, sophisticated modeling programs help arson investigators understand how and where fires originate. This enables investigators to better determine fire patterns that can provide clues as to whether the fire was intentionally set.