Have you ever heard of someone who was called a ”firestarter” and thought, ”Okay, but can it really be an offence?” Well, just to make it clear, that is not just playing with fire when you are involved in the act of arson, it is about one setting fire on purpose. The law does not care about that part. Or an accident-fire? Tragedy. Careless flame: mistake. But when someone lights a match in the mind of bad intentions? That’s plain old arson. That’s a big thing! Because fire will not only destroy, and ruin lives along the way, but threaten entire communities and sometimes mask bigger crimes.
When Fires Mean Different Things Aka Degrees of Damage
You see, Arson is never the same crime every single time, it is different in every case. Like, it depends on how bad the damage can be and what consumes flames by the end of them. Probably the worst type of arson? That would be first-degree arson, which really focuses on dwelling places: homes, and apartments. Certainly, the worst danger because it directly jeopardizes lives. Then there’s second-degree arson, which usually includes vacant buildings or land. With these though, many try to get shady insurance scams. And finally, there’s third-degree arson, which usually targets abandoned buildings or open land areas, such as agricultural areas or forests. Think more along the lines of “Oops, that old barn burnt down” rather than “raging inferno.” The heavier the loss, either life or property, the tougher the penalties would be, simple as that!
Wait!! Why Do People Light Fires on Purpose?
But why would any person go ahead to light a fire purposely? Their reasons are manifold and none of them seems to be good. Some do it out of material gain, like burning a building down with a view to cashing in on an insurance policy. Though, others are out for revenge, you know, from someone emotionally hurt, financially, or both. Just so you know, there are those who fire-light in order to hide other crimes, like destroying evidence or messing with a crime scene. And there’s pyromania, a really rare but very true mental disorder that makes people obsess and derive a perverse thrill from burning things down, are you aware of that? Still, the law does not recognize excuses. The damage is real, and punishments are very serious, just saying.
Alright, So, How Do Arson Investigations Work?
You see, trying to find out whether an accidental fire is an arson fire is nothing short of a terribly smoky puzzle, it’s a lot more confusing than you think. Investigators begin with the “point of origin,” or the place where the fire started. Like, if the fire were the result of arson, most likely, there would be physical evidence, like accelerants (gasoline, for example), odd burn patterns, or signs that residents tampered with the alarms or sprinkler systems, you know? Sure enough, for this, they employ high-fangled contraptions like hydrocarbon detectors (in case you think of them as fine sniffers of flammable liquids) for even the forensic labs to dig through for more information on what happened. The ashes, too, speak. Like, Arsonists may think that they have destroyed all evidence, but investigators are professionals in finding the truth.