From time to time, you hear about arson in the news. Most people think of arson when someone burns down his or her home for profit. While this would definitely fall under the category of arson, arson is a much broader crime than many people know.
Arson is broken down into several categories ranging from 1st Degree Arson, where a structure is deliberately damaged or destroyed by fire or explosion(punishable up to 20 years in prison and up to a $20,000fine) to 5th degree arson which is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in prison and up to a $1,000 fine. There is also wildfire arson, which is the intentional burning of the land of another, which contains timber, underbrush, GRASS or other vegetation and is punishable up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
Springtime also marks the state of the grass fire season. Many of these grass fires are intentionally set and would be considered arson. I want to caution people that above and beyond the legal consequences, there are very serious risks of personal injury and unintended secondary results. Grass fires can spread rapidly from a small contained fire and cause real damage to structures which are in the path of running grass fire. Setting a grass fire is not something to play around with.
Another arson fire we run into, particularly in the summer months, are dumpster fires. Many of these fires are cause juveniles “having fun” late at night. Third degree arson, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, is defined as causing damage by fire to property valued over $300 and not more than $1,000. Many of the dumpsters and garbage cans destroyed during these fires fall into this category. Is “having fun” worth being charged with this offense? Also, many of these fires start secondary fires to the adjacent structure. Many of these buildings are in downtown buildings and pose a serious risk to occupants, not to mention the penalty would likely be escalated to first degree arson if the building is occupied.
So, my take on all of this is: please help educate our youth about the seriousness of arson and the damage it can cause. Arson is not something to play around with and carries very steep penalties. I want all our firefighters to go home to their families. Risking lives for an intentionally set fire is just plain unacceptable.