The crime of
intentionally burning a building other property for a criminal or malicious reason.
Each year Fire Departments across the country respond to fires that have been
intentionally set. This places great risk on our emergency responders and threatens
communities they serve.
Minnesota State Law requires fire departments to report where a how fires
are started. This is done through an investigation process. The data collected from these
investigations is entered into a state database known as the Minnesota Fire
Incident Reporting System (MFIRS). At the end of the year MFIRS data is compiled and
reports are sent to local fire departments that identify our known fire problems.
For many years within the State of Minnesota arson has been one of the
leading causes of all fires. Both nationally and statewide, arson is the second leading
cause of fires in residential occupancies (behind cooking fires) and the leading cause of
all fires in commercial structures
In the past, arson was seen only as a property crime. Today we realize
that it is a violent and deadly crime against PEOPLE used to get back at someone for many
reasons including: spite, revenge, financial, hate crimes, and more. Arson costs each of
us money in some way . It threatens the tax base of our communities and ruins our
beautiful neighborhoods and parks. Arson is a CRIME against YOU! - YOU can help by
identifying potential arson problems and reporting suspicious activity in your
neighborhood.
