Tenants Caused South Bronx Fires
False Assumption: The media and elites blamed South Bronx arson fires on welfare tenants rather than landlords torching properties for insurance.
Written by FARAgent on February 10, 2026
In the 1970s, the South Bronx suffered years of arson fires that destroyed housing in black and Puerto Rican neighborhoods. These fires differed from 1960s riot arsons targeting white shopkeepers. Perpetrators avoided cameras, unlike riot mobs.
A new book by historian Bench Ansfield claims media, Hollywood, and social scientists blamed victims with terms like 'welfare arsonist' and 'social cancer.' The New York Times review echoes this, citing figures like Senator Moynihan who said people burn what they don't want.
Sailer calls this dubious. His friend's father, an accountant in the South Bronx, confirmed bosses torched properties. Howard Cosell noted a fire live in 1977. Landlord arson was common knowledge, not hidden by media.
People Involved
- In the mid-1970s, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan appeared in media reports, stating that people burn housing they do not want. Critics argue this quote helped pin the blame on tenants for the South Bronx fires. [1]
- Meanwhile, Bench Ansfield, a historian and author of 'Born in Flames,' has promoted the view that the media wrongly blamed tenants, framing it as victim-blaming by a broader cultural machinery. He presented this as a good faith belief in a narrative that overlooked landlord motives. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“A celebrated new book, Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City by the historian Bench Ansfield (a Person of Plurality who insists on being referred to, confusingly, with plural pronouns) insists that The Media back in the 1970s blamed the tenants while never suspecting that landlords were torching their properties for the insurance money.”— The Bronx Is Burning
“As Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan put it: “People don’t want housing in the South Bronx, or they wouldn’t burn it down.””— The Bronx Is Burning
Organizations Involved
The New York Times reviewed Bench Ansfield's book, endorsing the idea that media outlets had blamed victims for the arsons starting in the mid-1970s. This coverage reinforced the tenant-blaming story. [1] The Los Angeles Times described the Bronx as a 'landscape of urban cancer,' adding to the narrative that residents caused the destruction. [1] A vice president from the New York Property Insurance Underwriting Association claimed some arsons stemmed from 'sexual gratification,' further directing suspicion toward tenants. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (3)
“The New York Times review of Ansfield’s book contends: Who was to blame for this destruction? From the mid-1970s onward, a whole cultural machinery — from Hollywood studios and social scientists to the nation’s leading newspapers — fixed on the same explanation: The fires were the fault of their victims.”— The Bronx Is Burning
“The Los Angeles Times described the Bronx as a “landscape of urban cancer.””— The Bronx Is Burning
“A vice president of the New York Property Insurance Underwriting Association claimed that arsons were committed for “sexual gratification.””— The Bronx Is Burning
The Foundation
The assumption rested on apocryphal stories of the 'welfare arsonist' and 'welfare queen,' which gained traction through repeated media mentions. Critics argue these tales seemed credible at the time but misled by ignoring known landlord incentives for insurance payouts. [1] Metaphors of 'social cancer' in the New York Times warned of destruction spreading from tenant behavior, fostering a belief in resident pathology rather than profit-driven arson by owners. Growing questions surround whether this foundation held up under scrutiny. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“Before the “welfare queen,” there was the largely apocryphal “welfare arsonist.””— The Bronx Is Burning
“The New York Times warned that the borough’s “social cancer is spreading.””— The Bronx Is Burning
How It Spread
From the mid-1970s onward, the tenant-blaming explanation spread through a network of cultural institutions. Hollywood studios, social scientists, and major newspapers all contributed to its dissemination. [1] This machinery amplified the idea, with mounting evidence challenging whether it fairly represented the arson causes in the South Bronx.
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“From the mid-1970s onward, a whole cultural machinery — from Hollywood studios and social scientists to the nation’s leading newspapers — fixed on the same explanation: The fires were the fault of their victims.”— The Bronx Is Burning
Harm Caused
The arsons led to rapid decay in South Bronx housing stock. Black and Puerto Rican tenants suffered as primary victims, displaced by the fires and the ensuing blight. [1] Critics argue the blame placed on residents compounded their hardships, though the full impact remains debated.
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“the victims of 1970s arson tended to be black and Puerto Rican tenants of decaying tenements.”— The Bronx Is Burning
Downfall
By 1977, an anecdote from a South Bronx accountant surfaced, revealing that his bosses had torched properties for profit. That same year, broadcaster Howard Cosell announced a fire live during a World Series game, making the arson epidemic public knowledge. [1] Critics argue these events exposed landlord involvement, mounting a challenge to the tenant-blaming narrative that had dominated media accounts.
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“My friend said his father told him that the bosses were having their own property burned down for the insurance. ... Howard Cosell famously pointed out a fire during the 1977 World Series at Yankee Stadium.”— The Bronx Is Burning
Sources
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[1]
The Bronx Is Burningopinion