No single group is more familiar with the problem of child and adolescent firesetting than our nation's firefighters. They witness the ugly results of deadly fires every day. They see how most fires could be prevented. They have even taken bold steps through programs like FireWatch to stop children from playing with fire. In the decade of the 1970's, 54.6 percent of all arrested arsonists in the U. S. were under 18 years of age, including 11 percent age 10 or under.
Children are naturally curious about fire.
Indeed, most children are fascinated by it. This natural curiosity is the cause of most fires set by young children. They find a pack of matches or a cigarette lighter and, through imitation or experimentation, cause tragedy. Other children may start fires intentionally. More often than not, these children intentionally set fires more than once.