720 ILCS 5/20-1.1 – Aggravated Arson
This law says someone commits aggravated arson when they set a fire that harms people or puts others in danger.
Aggravated arson means someone starts a fire that damages a building or vehicle when people are inside or near it, someone gets seriously hurt, or a firefighter or police officer gets injured while doing their job. It’s a very serious crime with a heavy punishment.
(a) A person commits aggravated arson if they start a fire on purpose that damages any kind of building or structure, such as a school, home, trailer, boat, car, or train car, and one of these things happens:
- The person knows or should know that someone is inside the building.
- Someone gets badly hurt, disabled, or scarred because of the fire or explosion.
- A firefighter, police officer, or correctional officer working at the scene gets hurt because of the fire or explosion.
In this law, “property of another” means any property that someone else also has a right to, even if the person starting the fire partly owns it. “School building” means any public or private school, college, or university.
(b) Sentence: Aggravated arson is a Class X felony, which means it is punished very seriously under Illinois law.
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