The fire in the Monts d’Arrée (Finistère) last week, the one in La Hague (Manche) this weekend, the fire in Landiras (Gironde) which has been raging since July 12 or the one in Sernhac (Gard) in beginning of the month… What do they have in common? These are all intentional fires.
If the fires are almost all of human origin – in nine out of ten cases -, but unintentional, 10% of the 300,000 fires that occur each year result from a voluntary act, according to the Criminal Research Institute of the National Gendarmerie (IRCGN ). And in some cases, the perpetrators have a well-known disorder, that of pyromania.
Very specific criteria
“Arsonists are not mentally ill, they have a personality disorder,” explains Mickaël Morlet-Rivelli, criminology expert at the Reims Court of Appeal and doctoral student in psychology at the University of Caen Normandy and at the center International Comparative Criminology of Montreal, which reminds us that it must be distinguished from the incendiary. The latter “is someone who deliberately starts a fire out of vandalism, intimidation, revenge, terrorism, to destroy evidence or even for insurance fraud”, adds the researcher.
But how do you recognize an arsonist? According to manual Diagnosis and Statistics of Mental Disorders (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – DSM), “the essential characteristic of pyromania is the deliberate and thoughtful setting of fires several times”. The book, the world bible of mental disorders, has listed other criteria for pyromania. “Arsonists have tension or emotional excitement before acting out, a fascination with fire, gratification and relief by lighting it and contemplating it,” continues the psychologist. And that’s not all. Arsonists do not light a fire for a specific purpose – commercial, ideological, political, criminal – and their act cannot be explained by another disorder, specifies Mickaël Morlet-Rivelli.
Already in 1840, when the concept was created, psychiatrists had defined it as a behavioral disorder. “There was a process of pathologization. At the time, psychiatrists were interested in delusions about single objects, such as pyromania, but also kleptomania. They called it partial madness, ”decrypts Laurence Guignard, professor of contemporary history at the University of Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC).
“A cathartic act”
But what are arsonists looking for? According to Marjorie Sueur, clinical psychologist, expert with the Aix en Provence Court of Appeal and consultant in criminology, it is a means of expression. “They have an emotional, nervous tension that they will have to express. There is the pleasure of lighting a fire and the relief of having put an end to the tension, ”she analyzes. “It’s a psychic regulation, almost a cathartic act,” adds Mickaël Morlet Rivelli. And for some arsonists, this pleasure also takes on a sexual dimension or excitement, continues Marjorie Sueur.
But one of the characteristics of the arsonist is to return to the scene of the fire, in particular to help any victims. “There is almost a double enjoyment, the pleasure of seeing his work – the fire – and that of helping”, deciphers the clinical psychologist, who lists the different triggers: “They need to attract attention, to pass for a savior, to transgress the law, to think themselves above, they have a feeling of omnipotence”. And in some cases, the profiles are more astonishing than others, in particular the – very rare – cases of arsonist firefighters. “They will create the fire and put it out, they have complete control over it,” she adds.
Just yesterday, a man – a volunteer firefighter from Hérault – was arrested. He is suspected of being the cause of several fires in the department for several weeks, said the Montpellier prosecutor’s office, which has opened an investigation into the causes of the fire.
A very rare pathology
Nevertheless, pyromania remains a very rare pathology, adds Mickaël Morlet-Rivelli, who cites one of the rare studies on the subject, led by Carlos Blancopublished in 2010 in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. The prevalence of arsonists in the general population is estimated at 1%. If the risk of recurrence is high, pyromania can be treated, in particular by cognitive-behavioral therapies. “We will teach the arsonist to modify his deviant behavior by behavior adapted to society”, explains Marjorie Sueur.
With a few exceptions, despite the pathological aspect of their behavior, the vast majority of arsonists are declared criminally responsible for their acts. Since 2004, deliberate fires in forests or woods are punishable by up to fifteen years in prison – a sentence which can go as far as life if the fire results in death – and a fine of 150 to 200,000 euros.
Last week, the Valencia court sentenced an 18-year-old arsonist to a two-year prison sentence, including 18 months suspended and probation, and compulsory care for having started three voluntary fires in fifteen days.