U.S. Fire Administration 

Protecting Homes 

Against Arson 

April 2013 

Photo by Greg Henshall/FEMA 

U.S. Fire Administration 

16825 South Seton Avenue 

Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727 

www.usfa.fema.gov 
According to the U.S. Fire Administration and

the National Fire Protection Association, there

are more than 16,000 intentionally set fires in

homes every year, resulting in an estimated 300 

deaths, 700 injuries and $500 million in direct

property damage. The average dollar loss for an 

intentionally set fire in a residential building is

$21,320. The fatality rate for intentionally set

residential fires is more than twice that of other 

residential building fires. 

Arson robs communities of its valuable assets, lives and property. Arson destroys 

more than buildings; it can devastate a community resulting in the decline 

of the neighborhood through increased insurance premiums, loss of business 

revenue, and a decrease in property values. 

The fire service can help communities reduce the occurrence of arson and 

reduce its devastating effect by making residents aware of these measures to 

safeguard their homes. 

Illuminate Exterior and Entrances 

Install lights covering all sides of the house. Motion-activated lighting, which is 

inexpensive, should be placed near the entrances. Interior lights on timers give 

the illusion that a residence is occupied. 

Clear Obstructions 

Trim or remove shrubbery that blocks the view of the house from the street. 

During the growing season, bushes and trees may need to be trimmed frequently. 

Install Burglar and Fire 

Alarm Systems 

Alarm devices can be inexpensively 

wired to transmit an alarm to the 

police or fire department. Check the 

cost of contracting with a security 

firm for response to alarms. 

Install Smoke Alarms and a Fire 

Sprinkler System 

The combination of working smoke alarms and 

home fire sprinklers reduces the likelihood of 

death from fire by more than 82 percent. The 

most effective fire loss prevention and reduction 

measure for both life and property is the 

installation and maintenance of fire sprinklers. 

Keep Doors and Windows Locked 

All external doors should be equipped with 

dead bolts. A simple locked door could be the 

deterrent that saves a house from arson. The 

hardware used to lock windows can sometimes 

be easily forced open using a credit card or 

other tool. The best type of window hardware 

has spring-loaded bolts that insert through the 

window frame into the wall frame. 

Clean House 

Oftentimes, arson is a crime of opportunity. 

Remove excess vegetation and piles of leaves. 

Clean around your house and garage, removing 

unused and unneeded paper, trash, cleaning 

supplies, partial cans of paint and other 

materials that could become kindling and fuel a 

fire for an arsonist. 

Clean Up Vacant Homes 

Secure abandoned and vacant homes, which 

are potential arson targets. This may include 

adding additional locks or boarding up broken 

windows or other openings with plywood. 

Remove abandoned vehicles. Most car fires are 

started to cover up other criminal activity or 

simply as an act of vandalism. 

Communicate with the owner that authorities 

are concerned about the vacant home and 

explain why. Contact public works to disconnect 

all utilities at the street. This includes natural 

gas, water and electricity. If there are liquefied 

petroleum gas tanks, they should be disconnected 

and removed. Encourage Neighborhood Watch 

members to patrol these areas and write 

down descriptions, license plates of suspicious 

vehicles, and potential suspect descriptions. 

Establish a Community 

Arson Watch Program 

Follow the successful 

Neighborhood Watch 

five-step program model 

provided here. 

Step 1 — Analyze the 

specific local problem 

and collect related data. 

Step 2 — Build a 

partnership between fire 

and emergency services, 

the police and other law 

enforcement agencies, 

and the residents. 

Step 3 — Assess 

the needs of your 

neighborhood and 

determine which 

problems to focus on 

and the methods used to 

address them. 

Step 4 — Train a 

dynamic group of 

volunteers, led by 

organized and motivated 

leaders. 

Step 5 — Develop 

meaningful projects 

specific to the 

identified problem.