Vehicle fire

In 38 percent of the cases, investigators concluded that the fire resulted from either careless behavior or accidental actions.

The failure of powered equipment, such as an electrical motor or a fan, was considered causal in 21 percent of the cases.

Fires caused by intentional actions, such as arson, accounted for 5 percent of the cases; but the report cautions that this may be an undercount.

"A BBC investigation found that last year [2023] fire crews in the north-east of England were called an average of more than 20 times a week to vehicles being set alight.

"[5] In France, widespread arson of cars is regularly committed by youths during New Year's Eve celebrations.

"On average, there are four incidents a day in Sweden, and August is the month where we tend to have the most burning cars," said Manne Gerell, a criminologist affiliated with Malmö University.