Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. A person who commits arson is referred to as an arsonist, or a serial arsonist if the person has committed arson several times. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercraft, or forests.
Arson is considered distinct from pyromania, an impulse control disorder characterized by an obsession with fire. Most acts of arson are not committed by pyromaniacs. Reckless burning is legally distinct from arson in some jurisdictions, but generally refers to cases where an individual causes a fire which results in death, destruction of property, or injury, through negligence or inattention.
Arsonists may se...
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The remains of the burned down building after the arson, Kyoto Animation Studio 1 (Kyoto)
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View of the El Dorado Fire from El Dorado Ranch Park on Saturday, September 5, 2020.
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Ezéchiel du Mas, comte de Mélac (* ca. 1630; † 10 May 1704), French general. German engraving