Okanagan firebug likely, arson profiler says
A thrill-seeker who starts fires as part of a secret game with investigators could be behind 29 wildfires believed to be arson in the Okanagan over the last four years, says an arson profiler.
Dian Williams has interviewed hundreds of fire setters and fire bombers across the United States as CEO of the Center for Arson Research. While she’s done consulting work for the RCMP in the past, she said Friday she hasn’t been in contact with B.C. investigators.
But listening to the details police have released about 29 fires they believe were deliberately set between Lake Country and Osoyoos beginning in July 2014, Williams identified three possible arsonist profiles, with “thrill seeker” at the top of her list.
People who start wildfires “fit very nicely” into the thrill seeker profile because, of all the different types of arsonists, “they care about the size of the fire,” she said.
“They are drawn to the drama. They love to figure out the equipment and manpower that needs to be used to fight the fire, and they love to think about fooling investigators.”
The spectacle — forests being devoured by flames, people fleeing their homes and smoke-clouded skies as far away as Vancouver — make wildfires an attractive prospect for thrill-seeking arsonists. The possibility of being caught adds to the excitement.
“As people are trying to figure out who you are, you are demonstrating that you are much more clever than they are,” said Williams. “The bottom line is that thrill seekers are always playing a game.”
Thrill-seeking arsonists usually begin by starting small fires, but try to cause more damage as time goes on.
The profiler said it was “very, very interesting” that most of the 29 fires identified by police were lit in interface settings where forest or grasslands give way to farms and homes.
On July 15, 2017, a 0.5-square-kilometre blaze in Lake Country — one of the most recent fires on the RCMP list — destroyed eight homes.
“Thankfully, no one was injured or killed, but the potential for the loss of life was considerable,” said a police press release.
Another type of arsonist that has been known to start wildfires is the “revenge arsonist,” said Williams. With a profile similar to a workplace or school shooter, their mind is set on getting even over an actual or perceived wrong.
“For that person, a lesson must be taught,” she said. “If they feel that they have not gotten what they deserve, the lesson has to keep being taught.”
Williams identified a third profile, that of a “disordered-coping fire setter,” but dismissed it almost as quickly. Disordered-coping arsonists start setting fires at age three or four and tend to set many fires, leading her to include it in her assessment, although she said the fires are not usually lit in remote places.
Establishing a profile is a valuable tool for police because it can help them eliminate certain categories of suspects, such as delinquent fire setters, or teens doing “dumb kid things,” she said.
A profile can also help direct the investigation. For example, in the case of a thrill seeker, police might look for someone who seems very interested in the fires, who “keeps showing up to help,” but is secretly taunting them by being close to the investigation. A revenge fire setter might be uncovered by looking closely at people with a grudge, she said.
The profiler suspected investigators would keep an eye out for people connected with wildfire firefighting in B.C., given the rare, but identified phenomenon of “firefighter arsonists.” She was also interested in the province’s relatively short fire season, saying that if there were no fires this summer, she’d assume the arsonist had moved somewhere else.
“They haven’t stopped, because this behaviour lasts a lifetime,” she said. “This guy is really very dangerous.”
Asked what affect the attention given to the suspected B.C. arsonist (or arsonists) through Thursday’s police statement and subsequent media coverage could have, Williams said it essentially didn’t matter.
“Police are caught. If you give [the arsonist] attention, they’ll set more fires for more attention. If you don’t give them attention, they’ll set more fires for attention. There’s really no way to stop them,” she said.