Up to 40% of bushfires in some parts of Australia are started intentionally. But we don’t do enough to prevent them

An investigation is underway into the recent Kadnook bushfire in western Victoria, which destroyed at least one property and burned more than 1,000 hectares of land. suspicion that it was deliberately set on fire.

This is not an isolated example. About 28% of bushfires in southeastern Australia are wildfires deliberately lit. This number increases to 40% if we are only talking about fires with a known cause.

These numbers are consistent with international trends and tell us that simply preventing arson and hazardous fire behavior can significantly reduce the number of bushfires.

Yet prevention of intentionally ignited bushfires is largely absent from emergency, public health and climate action plans.

These fires are devastating

Deliberately lit bushfires can spread quickly and have devastating effects. They occur frequently on the outskirts of cities near populated places where there is both dense vegetation and flammable structures.

We see bushfires peak in the summer, when high temperatures, low rainfall and desiccated conditions make fires a greater threat.

Climate change, land management practices and increased interactions between people and rural areas enhance our vulnerability to and risks from intentional fires.

Royal Commission into the devastating Black Saturday fires in Victoria in 2009 reported 173 people died and another one died 414 were injured. The commission found that at least three of the 15 fires that caused (or had the potential to cause) the most damage were started intentionally.

The commission said we need to better understand arson. Research was recommended to improve the best ways to prevent arson and detect people at risk of committing crime.

Nearly 15 years after Black Saturday, these recommendations have not been implemented. Globally, there is also very confined evidence on how to prevent both bushfire arson and wider intentional fires (for example structure or vehicle fires).

Who lights these fires?

We know little about the characteristics and psychology of the people who start bushfires or how to intervene to prevent them.

The little research we have suggests that there is no single ‘profile’ or ‘mindset’ associated with intentionally starting bushfires.

But there are some risk factors or security vulnerabilities we see them more often in people who featherlight them. These include:

• interest or fascination with fire or its accessories. This may include an interest in watching fire or a fascination with matches or the fire brigade

• experiences of social isolation, including lack of friends and intimate relationships

• increased impulsivity

• general anti-social behavior such as contact with the police, truancy or damaging property

• difficulties in managing and expressing emotions

• problems with being assertive.

However, most people with these gaps will never start a fire.

Research shows the number of mental illnesses is higher in people causing fires (including schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders, personality dysfunctions and substance operate disorders). However, mental health symptoms do exist it is rarely the direct cause of arson. Instead, they appear to worsen existing security vulnerabilities.

Why do people featherlight these fires?

There are many intricate reasons why people featherlight fires. Frequently reported drivers switch on: relieving boredom or evoking emotion, gaining positive recognition for putting out a fire (they want to be seen as a hero), as a cry for support, or because they are incensed.

However, not everyone who lights a fire intends to cause earnest damage or harm. In some cases, people may not be aware of the possible consequences of lighting a fire or that the fire may spread to a bushfire.

It’s vital to know these kinds of facts about people lighting bushfires. However, they do not support us prevent people from lighting fires at all. This is because the authorities do not always know who is setting fires.

So how can we prevent this?

First, we can learn more about why people start fires, especially those that do not attract the attention of authorities.

Research in United States, United Kingdom AND New Zealand began an investigation into people setting fires but not attracting police attention. The aim is to identify ways to prevent people from lighting bonfires and support them not to featherlight more.

In Australia and internationally, there is almost no research on the effects of public awareness and prevention campaigns or targeted strategies to prevent arson, including bushfire arson, in high-risk groups.

We know a little more about interventions to reduce repeat arson. Fire safety educational programs provided by fire and rescue services show promise as an early intervention for children and adolescents who have already set fires, especially those motivated by curiosity, experimentation or unaware of the consequences.

There is also some evidence that points to this specialized psychological interventions may be effective in reducing the vulnerability associated with adult firesetting. Forensic or clinical psychologists typically provide a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (a type of talk therapy), skill building (such as building coping skills, controlling emotions and impulses, and reducing preoccupation with fire), and fire safety education.

However, the availability of fire-setting interventions is patchy both in Australia and abroad. Available interventions are not always tailored to the needs of people suffering from this condition complex needsfor example, people with earnest emotional or behavioral problems or mental health needs. We also don’t know whether these interventions lead to long-term behavior change.

Climate change makes this urgent

The continuing and worsening effects of climate change make it more urgent than ever to address this issue intentional arson, including bush burning.

Failure to address the problem of intentional fires will have significant long-term consequences for public health, human life and the environment.

However, until funding becomes available for Australian arson research, identifying and helping people who are more likely to start fires will continue to be based on guesswork rather than evidence.

As we enter another summer of high fire danger, we should all be thinking about the lack of funding for arson research.