The FBI and ATF tracked 164 structure fires from arson that occurred May 27–30, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul.[2][1] Rioters started fires by igniting flammable materials within or next to buildings and in some cases by deploying Molotov cocktails.[3][4] Property locations were damaged by spreading flames, heat, and smoke, and by suppressant waters from fire hoses and fire sprinkler systems. Many of the impacted structures suffered heavy damage or were destroyed, with some being reduced to piles of rubble after collapsing.[5][6]
The widespread acts of arson occurred in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and affected properties in the cities of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Apple Valley in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Most acts of arson targeted commercial businesses, but schools, non-profit organizations, government offices, and private residences were also targeted by arsonists or indirectly affected by fire.[7] The most notable arson damage was to the Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct police station that was overrun by demonstrators and set on fire the night of May 28.[1] A few blocks away from the police station the same night, Oscar Lee Stewart Jr. died from inhalation and burn injuries after being trapped inside a pawn shop that had been set on fire.[8][9][10] During several nights of chaos, fires displaced several dozen residents who evacuated affected houses and apartment buildings.[11][12][13][14][15]
After the rioting subsided, state and federal authorities had difficulty identifying those responsible for causing destruction.[16] By May 2021, a year after the civil unrest over Floyd's murder, federal investigators had only filed arson charges against 17 people for damages at 11 properties in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan region, despite arson affecting nearly 200 properties.[17] In many instances, business owners were left paying for damages out of pocket as more than half of all riot-related losses were not covered by insurance.[6] Some business owners raised money via GoFundMe campaigns or applied for recovery grants to reestablish operations, while many others opted not to rebuild their damaged properties, citing insufficient money or unacceptable financial risks.
Nearly 1,500 property locations in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area suffered some type of property damage during the riots, such as by fire, looting, smashed windows or doors, graffiti, ransacking, or other forms of vandalism.[1] At a cost of approximately $500 million, local unrest after the murder of George Floyd was the second most destructive in United States history, after the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[5] About 60% of the financial losses from rioting in Minneapolis–Saint Paul were uninsured.[6]
