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What kind of person starts a forest fire? Portrait of an arsonist in Spain
More than half of forest fires in Spain are started deliberately, but why do people light wildfires and who would do such a thing?
2022 was a record breaking year for forest fires, with almost 300,000 hectares of land in Spain being burnt up according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System – a shocking three times the annual average.
And even more shockingly, more than half of forest fires in Spain are started intentionally or by human recklessness. Sixty per cent of wildfires are caused by either serious or minor recklessness. But who is this reckless person starting all these wildfires? And why are they starting fires?
Using a mathematical algorithm, the Guardia Civil police in Spain have created a profile the perpetrator of forest fires, which in general is a male over 46 years of age who is self-employed, lives in the countryside and has no previous criminal record.
This study was developed mainly to help police identify suspects, since arsonists and others responsible for starting fires are rarely caught.
For example, of the 8,780 wildfires recorded in 2021, the perpetrator or perpetrators were only identified in around 500 cases.
Why do people start wildfires in Spain?
Thirty-eight per cent of fires are started by minor negligence, meaning they are accidental fires in which the perpetrator assumes responsibility and even helps to extinguishing the fire.
In serious fires (22% of cases), the perpetrator escapes from the scene and conceals his action.
A further 20% of fires are so-called “senseless” or pathological fires by arsonists, around 10% are lit for financial profit and 4.7% are started for the purposes of revenge.
What kind of person deliberately starts a forest fire?
The mathematical algorithm allows the system to extract a fairly tight profile of the arsonist. Although this is obviously unique for each case, police have identified the following 4 types of profile:
- The Seriously Reckless Country-dweller: The system produces a profile of a man over 46 years of age who is married, self-employed, with a job in the countryside, with no previous history and no psychological problems. He usually starts fires in spring, autumn or winter, in the morning or in the evening, with a single fire that starts near an agricultural area and does not use any accelerants or retardants. Witnesses are those who warn authorities about the fire.
- The Arsonist without a Cause: Most arsonists are also men, but in this case under 46 years of age, single, separated or widowed. He is unemployed or has little income, lives alone and does not have many friends. He commits his crime in summer, under cover of darkness, and sets more than one fire in a high-risk area. He travels there on foot, because he lives nearby. And he starts burning on a road or track near the forest. It is his neighbours who report the fire. The perpetrator neither stays on the spot nor helps to extinguish the fire. He usually uses a lighter to start the fire, has done it before and is a man who is already receiving psychological treatment. What’s more, he uses drugs or alcohol or both, and acts under their effects.
- The Man who Lights Fires for Financial Gain: This man is also self-employed and lives with his partner, has an elementary level education and has an income of between 600 and 1,200 euros per month. He mostly lights fires in autumn and winter – more than one – and does it on the road for livestock or hunting purposes. He also usually lives in the same locality as the fire, travels to the scene by jeep, uses a lighter or something similar and sometimes it is he himself who warns firefighters of the fire. He is usually a serial arsonist.
- The Vengeful Fire Starter: There are not many cases of fires started for revenge and so the sample is still too small to be able to draw an accurate profile. Even so, with what little data is available, the portrait is very similar to that of the Arsonist without a Cause, with the difference that he is even more maladjusted and has very little social contact. He also generally already has a criminal record for crimes of this sort.
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