America Cools Down – Arson is down by Half from 1998 to 2007
Are we a more mellow nation these days? Over the 10 year period from 1998 to 2007 the number of arson fires in America is down by 50%. Is it a sign of a calmer society? Or is it just a reflection of a society growing richer year by year. It will be interesting to see if the mortgage meltdown will find a correlation with a new rise in arson as desperate homeowners and businesses torch their properties and hope that their insurers will “show [them] the money.”
* An estimated 32,500 intentionally set structure fires occurred in 2007.
* Intentionally set fires in structures resulted in 295 civilian deaths.
* Intentionally set structure fires also resulted in $733,000,000 in property loss.
* 20,500 intentionally set vehicle fires occurred, no change from 2006, and caused $145,000,000 in property damage, an increase of 8.2% from 2006.
The following table shows the number of fires, deaths, and dollar loss due to intentionally set structure fires that occurred from 1998 to 2007. Note: Injury data for intentionally set structure fires are not reported to NFPA.
Arson Fire Statistics Year Fires Deaths Direct Dollar Loss In Millions
1998 76,000 470 $1,249
1999 72,000 370 $1,281
2000 75,000 505 $1,340
2001¹ 45,500 330 $1,013 (excluding 9/11)
2001² - 2,451 $33,440 (including 9/11)
2002 44,500 350 $919
2003 37,500 305 $692
2004 36,500 320 $714
2005 31,500 315 $664
2006 31,000 305 $755
2007 32,500 295 $733
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