CALCRIM No. 1551

If you find the defendant guilty of arson [as charged in Count[s]

], you must then decide whether[, for each crime of arson,] the

People have proved (the additional allegation that/one or more of the

following additional allegations):

<Alternative A—prior felony violation(s) of Pen. Code, § 451 or § 452>

• [The defendant was convicted of (felony arson/ [(and/or)] felony

unlawfully causing a fire) on <insert date of

conviction>. <Repeat for each prior felony conviction alleged.>]

<Alternative B—injury to firefighter , peace offıcer , or EMT>

• [(A/An) (firefighter[,]/ peace officer[,]/ [or] emergency worker)

suffered great bodily injury as a result of the arson.]

<Alternative C—great bodily injury to more than one person>

• [The defendant caused great bodily injury to more than one

person during the commission of the arson.]

<Alternative D—multiple structures burned>

• [The defendant caused multiple structures to burn during the

commission of the arson.]

<Alternative E—device designed to accelerate fire>

• [The arson (caused great bodily injury[,]/ [or] caused an

inhabited structure or inhabited property to burn[,]/ [or] burned

a structure or forest land), and was caused by use of a device

designed to accelerate the fire or delay ignition.]

<Alternative F—monetary gain, Pen. Code, § 456(b)>

• [The defendant committed the arson for monetary gain.]

[A person who is employed as a police officer by <insert

name of agency that employs police offıcer> is a peace officer.]

[A person employed by <insert name of agency that employs

peace offıcer , e.g., “the Department of Fish and Wildlife”> is a peace officer

if <insert description of facts necessary to make employee a

peace offıcer , e.g., “designated by the director of the agency as a peace

offıcer”> .]

[A firefighter includes anyone who is an officer, employee, or member of

a (governmentally operated (fire department/fire protection or

firefighting agency) in this state/federal fire department/federal fire

protection or firefighting agency), whether or not he or she is paid for his

or her services.]

[An emergency worker includes an emergency medical technician. An

emergency medical technician is someone who holds a valid certificate

under the Health and Safety Code as an emergency medical technician.]

[Great bodily injury means significant or substantial physical injury. It is

an injury that is greater than moderate harm.]

[A (structure/ [or] property) is inhabited if someone lives there and either

is present or has left but intends to return.]

[A (structure/ [or] property) is inhabited if someone used it as a dwelling

and left only because a natural or other disaster caused him or her to

leave.]

[A (structure/ [or] property) is not inhabited if the former residents have

moved out and do not intend to return, even if some personal property

remains inside.]

[A device designed to accelerate the fire means a piece of equipment or a

mechanism intended, or devised, to hasten or increase the fire’s

progress.]

[In order to prove that the defendant caused (great bodily injury to more

than one person/ [or] more than one structure to burn), the People must

prove that:

1. A reasonable person in the defendant’s position would have

foreseen that committing arson could begin a chain of events

likely to result in (great bodily injury to more than one person/

[or] the burning of more than one structure);

2. The commission of arson was a direct and substantial factor in

causing (great bodily injury to more than one person/ [or] the

burning of more than one structure);

AND

3. The (great bodily injury to more than one person/ [or the]

burning of more than one structure) would not have happened if

the defendant had not committed arson.]

[Y ou must decide whether the People have proved this allegation for

each crime of arson and return a separate finding for each crime of

arson.]

The People have the burden of proving (this/each) allegation beyond a

reasonable doubt. If the People have not met this burden, you must find

that the allegation has not been proved.

New January 2006; Revised September 2020, March 2024, October 2025

CALCRIM No. 1551 ARSON