Recent Church Fires Run Against Trend

The apparent upsurge in arson-related church fires during the past 1 1/2 years stands in stark contrast to the trend of the past 15 years, according to insurance authorities.

In 1980 there were 1,420 incendiary or suspicious fires involving churches and related property, compared to 520 such fires recorded in 1994, the latest figures available. That is the lowest level in 15 years, according to the National Fire Protection Assn., a nonprofit research group based in Quincy, Mass.

It is too early to say whether the disturbing and highly publicized recent series of blazes represents a reversal in that otherwise favorable downward trend.

“There’s no way to know if it’s a setback,” said association spokeswoman Julie Reynolds. “Our statistics stop at the end of 1994.”

As of Friday, law enforcement authorities reported more than 100 arsons or suspicious fires in the past 18 months, most of them in the Southeast.

“If we continue with the trend we’re seeing this year, which is . . . almost daily reporting of suspicious fires, then, yes, there would definitely be an increase,” Steve Goldstein, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute, said Friday in New York. “It would be an upsurge in an otherwise favorable [downward] trend.” The institute is a trade group representing the property casualty industry.

One thing is known: Churches face a far greater risk of being destroyed by arsonists than residential or commercial buildings.

Churches are not a major part of the $2-billion annual arson problem in the United States, accounting for less than 1% of 500,000 reported incendiary and suspicious fires.

However, looking at the category of churches alone, arson accounts for more than one of every four reported church property fires, and two-fifths of the reported property damage in those fires, the National Fire Protection Assn. said. The association’s damage estimates for the 520 church fires in 1994 came to $16 million.

The relatively low sum of $16 million points to a serious problem, according to Goldstein. Most churches, he said, are underinsured.

Churches are easy targets, officials said. Very often they are located in isolated areas, especially those in rural regions. They are often vacant except on weekends, and few have sophisticated security or fire alarm or automatic sprinkler systems.

Moreover, the architectural design of churches with vaulted ceilings and large open areas as well as the fact that many are older wooden structures makes them easier to burn. Prominent buildings with distinctive architectural features such as bell towers and steeples also make inviting targets.

Goldstein said installing sprinkler systems can pay for themselves by saving property and possibly even lives. Installation of bright outdoor lighting can deter would-be arsonists, Reynolds added. She also said church officials should contact local fire and police authorities and ask them to visit sites and suggest ways of reducing their fire risks.

While much attention has been focused on racial motivations in the current wave of church fires, the National Fire Protection Assn. said there is no typical church arsonist. Fires have been set to conceal burglaries. Juveniles have started fires to get even for church school punishments, and adults impaired by chronic alcohol abuse have set fires.

Goldstein, who used to be assistant secretary of public affairs for Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan Jr. during the Bush administration, said he wonders if all the publicity may have compounded the problem.

“This is a great issue for election year,” Goldstein said. “If I were a governor, I would immediately want to hold a press conference and surround myself with people to show how I would fight this. This is a risk-free issue for politicians and that is exactly why they are jumping on the bandwagon this year.

But such high visibility, he said, may prompt copycats to set their own fires.

“After a point it becomes a chicken and the egg and you don’t know which comes first,” Goldstein said.