Expert weighs in on motives behind arson

With more arson cases making headlines, including a recent incident in Palm Springs where a woman was accused of arson after several palm trees caught fire Thursday night, questions about why individuals commit this crime are coming to the forefront.

Arson can be rooted in deep psychological factors according to experts.

Gianni Muschetto, CalFire Staff Chief of Law Enforcement, said there are other factors that contribute to why someone may start a fire including revenge, terrorism, profit and vandalism.

He said there is one factor he sees more often than the others — excitement.

"Lighting that fire and causing all of the the response and chaos and getting away with it does something internally for that excitement," Muschetto said. "Those are typically the folks that we see continue that on, when we see a serial arsonist."

Stay with News Channel 3 to dive deeper into the drivers behind arson.