Deliberate firesetting: an international public health issue

Deliberate firesetting represents a prominent and enduring problem worldwide. In the past 10 years, deadly large-scale fires, involving deliberate ignition, have been seen across Europe, South America, Australasia, Russia, and the Middle East. These fires have resulted in hundreds of human injuries (such as burns and smoke inhalation) and fatalities, as well as widespread psychological trauma for communities—including fire service professionals—who have witnessed or been victims of these blazes. Yet, deliberate firesetting presents a much wider international public health concern outside of these large-scale incidents. For example, each year in England, there are approximately 76 100 deliberately set fires, 1030 fire-related casualties, and 50 fire-related deaths.In the USA, an estimated 261 330 deliberate fires were reported annually between 2010 and 2014, resulting in 440 deaths and 1310 casualties, with similarly high annual rates reported in Australia.