The Reason for the Problem

Many children who display firesetting behavior are curious about fire but are unaware of its potential destructive force. If these children are left unsupervised or lack sufficient constructive activities in their lives to ward off boredom, they often turn to firesetting.

However, a certain percentage of children set fires as a result of their inability to handle an emotional or stressful problem such as a low self-esteem or coping with family turmoil. Thus, firesetting is only a symptom of a deeper problem.