Officials Say Wildfire Arsonists Could Have Any Number Of Motives

State officials suspect that nearly half of the 70 active wildfires burning across Tennessee were started on purpose. Ten of those broke out on one day this week. 

Seven arrests have been made so far, but Jere Jeter, the head of the Tennessee Forestry Division, admits there’s no “typical” criminal profile in these cases.

“It’s hard to get into the mind of an arsonist. Some people just simply like to see the woods burn,” says Jeter. With others, it could be “vendetta against a neighbor or something. We don’t really know, it’s different with every one of them.”

An Agriculture Department spokeswoman says it also could be boredom or a sense of the excitement in seeing first responders going to work.

Besides gathering evidence and questioning witnesses, agency investigators won’t provide specifics on how they determine a fire to be arson. They say revealing their techniques could compromise the investigative process, of which the public plays a key role. 

Various agencies say wildfire arsonists are in large part identified from people’s tips. The state has recently increased the reward for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction. 

More than 18,000 acres have burned since the wildfires started spreading last month. Jeter says fighting all the blazes could
cost the state around $5.5 million, on top of the nearly $1 million Tennessee will receive in federal aid.