People with pyromania know that setting fires is harmful. But setting fires is the only way they can relieve their built-up tension, anxiety, or arousal. They feel satisfaction or relief after they set a fire.

Why do pyromaniacs set fires?

Pyromaniacs start fires to induce euphoria, and often fixate on institutions of fire control like fire houses and firemen. Pyromania is a type of impulse control disorder, along with kleptomania, intermittent explosive disorder and others.

Why is my child obsessed with fire?

A child pyromaniac is a child with an impulse-control disorder that is primarily distinguished by a compulsion to set fires in order to relieve built-up tension. A child pyromaniac is the rarest form of fire setting. Most young children are not diagnosed as having pyromania but rather conduct disorders.