In the Criminal Investigations Division at the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office there are a few specialties that Investigators work at.  One of those is Arson Investigations.  Arson Investigation consists of investigating Cause and Origin of fires.  These investigations consists of entering a fire scene and determining the nature of the fires.  There are three officers with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office trained in Arson Investigation.  The Sheriff’s Office assists the Laurens County Fire Services with these services.  At any given time there is an Arson Investigator on call twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.

Some common motives for arson include:

Vandalism: When the goal is to mischievously or maliciously harm property, be it abandoned buildings or, as is commonly the case, schools.

Excitement: When a fire is set to gain attention or get a rush, or, sometimes, sexual gratification. A common example of excitement-motivated arson occurs when a fire is set so that the arsonist can then act as a hero by calling firefighters or helping to put it out. 

Revenge: When a fire is set in a malicious attempt to right a wrong, whether the offense is real or imagined. This type of fire is sometimes fueled by other motives as well. It is divided into four subgroups: Personal (target is an individual), Societal (grievance is with society as a whole), Institutional (targeting an established organization, like the military, as a whole) and Group (targeting members of a group, often striking against their meeting place). 

Crime-Concealment When arson is secondary to a crime that has already taken place, and the fire is set to destroy evidence. 

Profit: When a fire is set to make money either directly, such as through insurance, or indirectly, through jobs created in putting out the fire or rebuilding afterward. 

Extremism: When a fire is set to promote a viewpoint. Examples of targets are synagogues, abortion clinics and animal labs.