Nowadays, news outlets provide us with a terrifyingglimpse of the immense destruction fires can cause. Mostrecently, the drought-ridden western swath of the U.S. has enduredmany a tragedy stemming from wildfires specifically.

Barely a year after the infamous Waldo Canyon fire, whichclaimed two lives and caused $353.6 million in insured damages, Colorado found itselfbattling another massive blaze—the Black Forest Fire, which has produced about 3,630 claims thusfar and could ultimately cost insurers about $292.8million.

From wildfires to plant explosions, investigating fire claims can be intimidatingto even the most experienced claims adjusters or cause andorigin specialists. One subset is arson, which happens whensomeone intentionally sets a fire, usually as part of a schemeto defraud his or her insurer.

Read related: Millionaire-Turned-Arsonist Commits Courtroom Suicide

The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that one in every 10fires in the U.S. today is deliberate. In fact, based on datacollected by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), atleast 26,500 structure fires were intentionally set in 2011(the most recent year for which data is available). Theseestimates do not take into account fires for which the causeis unknown or those that go unreported, meaning the problem couldbe even greater. In addition to structures, roughly 14,000 vehicleswere intentionally burned, resulting in $88 million in propertylosses.

Compounding matters is the fact that it is difficult to provethat an insured set a fire, as opposed to someone else. Witnessesare scarce, because arsonists usually work alone. Therefore,similar to a murder trial featured on ”48 HoursMystery” these cases are often based on circumstantialevidence, such as a strong motive, including heavy debt, loss ofemployment, recent or pending divorce, gambling problems, tax liensagainst the insured property, and pending foreclosure orbankruptcy. Other times, the motive is as simple as revenge againsta spouse or greed.

Aside from enlisting the help of a qualified fireexpert, how should claims adjusters proceed when theysuspect foul play? As in countless scenarios, the claims fileitself may provide direction and valuable clues as to the veracityof the insured's story. Below is a list ofcommon Claims File Red Flags thatmight suggest arson or at least that furtherinvestigation is warranted.

• The fire(s) occurred at night.
• The policy was recently issued, or was an endorsementmade to it?
• The insured is overly pushy.
• The insured is very familiar with insurance terms.
• You learn the insured is behind on mortgage payments.
• There is a history of claims made by insured.
• Hand-delivered proof of loss.
• Fires occurring close to expiration date of policy.
• The property is over-insured.
• The property is listed for sale (or has been for a longperiod).
• The insured claims that many antiques or luxury items weredestroyed.
• The sprinkler system was recently de-activated.
• The alarm system was not set at the time of the incident.
• There has been a recent decline in utility use.
• A lease with fire-termination clause.

Can you think of other considerations for determining thecause (and potential culpability) in fire claims? Also, be sure toCheck out our list of Fire Scene Red Flagshere…