Stopping arsonists while they're young

Why do thousands of kids feel uncontrollable urges to set fires? The Wall Street Journal's Jeffrey Zaslow takes a fascinating look at the search for answers to this vexing question, and for solutions to a serious but little-understood problem:

"Youths start an estimated 70,000 fires each year in the U.S., causing at least 300 s, 2,000 injuries and more than $300 million in damage, according to government reports. Other researchers say the numbers are even higher.

"More than 5,000 minors are arrested for arson annually, slightly more than the number of adults arrested for the crime. Those who get caught receive penalties ranging from brief fire-safety education to juvenile detention.

"Yet helping children with fire-setting impulses is fraught with difficulties -- partly because there aren't many programs, and partly because experts don't agree on what appropriate treatment should be. The problem often falls between the cracks of mental health, the insurance industry and government, with no one group equipped to deal with it."