Motives for a firefighter committing arson vary, ranging from the need for excitement or thrill to the wish to conceal a crime. An excitement-based motive would suggest that the firefighter wanted to be viewed as a hero.

How common is firefighter arson?

"There's roughly 100 firefighter arsonists convicted every year in North America and all of them are serial arsonists, which means three or more fires," Nordskog said Monday in a telephone interview.

What are the two reasons arsonists set fires?

There are two distinct motivations within this category. They are (1) financial — in many cases, wildland firefighters are only paid when they are working, and setting a fire brings work; and (2) hero complex — being a hero — often called vanity firesetters.