Forensic Science

Image: http://awittyassniga.tripod.com/things/fire.jpg T. Trimpe/B.Brooks 2006 http://sciencespot.net/

 Watch this video!

• http://tinyurl.com/hwl879v
 Fire Investigation Terms
• Fire - Produced when a substance undergoes rapid oxidation
involving heat and light.

• Fire Triangle – Shows the three elements needed to produce and

sustain a fire.
 Fire Investigation Terms
• Flash Point – The lowest • Point of Origin – The
temperature to which a location where the fire started.
substance must be heated in
order for the substance to give
off vapors which will burn
when exposed to a flame or
ignition source.

Could the
fire in this
bathroom
have been
started by
a mirror?
 Add to notes….
• Multiple points of origin: could mean objects fell
from the ceiling thus causing another point of origin
OR it could mean arson.
 Fire Investigation Terms
• Burn patterns –Noticeable • Accelerants – Substances,
patterns created by the fire as such as gasoline, paint
it burns. thinner, and alcohol, that
accelerate the burning
process.
 Fire Investigation Terms
• Arson – A fire started deliberately.
Fuel + Oxygen + Heat = Fire
The FIRE TRIANGLE represents the three elements
needed for fire to occur: heat, fuel, and oxygen.

FUEL

HEAT OXYGEN
Fuel can be any combustible material in any Examples:
state of matter - solid, liquid, or gas. Most solids CLOTHING
FURNITURE
and liquids become a vapor or gas before they CURTAINS
will burn. FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS

FUEL

HEAT OXYGEN
The air we breathe is about 21% oxygen. Fire requires an
atmosphere with at least 16% oxygen.

FUEL

HEAT OXYGEN
 Remember: Fuel + Oxygen + Heat = Fire
Heat is the energy necessary to increase the
temperature of the fuel to a point where
sufficient vapors are given off for ignition to
Examples:
occur.
STOVES
HEATING APPLIANCES
FUEL FIREPLACES
DAMAGED WIRING

HEAT OXYGEN
 Fire Clues
• Point of Origin – Burn patterns and other damage can help determine the point
of origin, or the location where the fire started.
• Char Patterns – Created by very
hot fires that burn very quickly and
move fast along its path, so that
there can be sharp lines between
what is burned and what isn't.
– A char pattern on a door would
help an investigator determine
which side of the door the fire
was on.
– A char pattern on the floor
would help investigators
determine the use of an
accelerant and its path.
• V-Patterns - Fire burns up, in a
V-shaped pattern, so a fire that
starts at an outlet against a wall
leaves a char pattern that points to
the origin.
– A very narrow V-shape might
indicate a fire that was hotter
than normal, such as one helped
along by an accelerant.
– A wide V-shape might indicate
a fire that was slow burning.
– A U-shape could indicate that
there was a "pool of origin"
rather than a point of origin,
such as might be caused by,
say, a puddle of gasoline.
• Heat Shadows - Occur when heavy furniture shields part of a wall; can help
determine the origin point.
• Glass - Glass fragments, windows, and
light bulbs can provide clues to a fire.
– Light bulbs tend to melt toward the
heat source, so the "direction of
melt" can indicate the direction of
the fire.
– The shattered or cracked glass of the
windows can provide indications as
to how a fire burned.
– A dark soot layer on the glass could
indicate a slow, smoldering fire.
– Clear glass with an abnormal pattern
of cracking could imply a very hot
fire, possibly due to an accelerant.
Chimney Effect - Since fire
burns upwards, there can be a
"chimney effect" where the
fire ignites at a point, the
superheated gases rise upward
and form a fireball, which
continues straight up to burn a
hole in the ceiling. If the roof
is not entirely burnt, and the
fire investigator finds such a
hole, the origin of the fire
could be directly underneath.
• Color of smoke – Determine Color of flames – Indicates at
what type material was what temperature the fire was
burning burning.
 Accident or Arson?
• Accidental Nature
– Heating System
– Electrical appliances
– Lightning
– Children playing with matches
– Smoking
• Non-Accident
Image: Havana Rural Fire Department
– Odors – Gas, kerosene, or other accelerants
– Furnishing – Removal of personal objects and valuables
– Clothing – Check debris for buttons, zippers, etc
– Locked windows, blocked doors
– Two or more points of origin
– Look for inverted v-patterns (can be a sign that an accelerant was used)
– Floors charred –Can indicate use of an accelerant
– Trailers that lead the fire from one place to another
 Fire Investigation Basics
• Work from the least damaged areas to the most heavily damaged
areas.
• Document with notes, photographs, and videos.
• Collect evidence (accelerant samples, fire items, and other crime
scene evidence.)
• Interview witnesses
• Determine the point of origin.
• Determine the heat source(s).
• Hypothesize the reasons for the fire.
 Havana – Laurel Street
Practice Burn Photographs

What clues might a fire

investigator gain from
this photograph?

Photos provided by Brock Brooks & the Havana Fire Department

 Practice Burn Photographs

A fire started in the kitchen area

does not take long before it is a
ball of flame reaching quickly to
the ceiling.
Fires can easily double in size
every 60 seconds, meaning there
is little time to extinguish a fire
before escape should be your
primary goal if trapped.
Fire fighters look on as the fire
spreads across a room.
The house is nearly completely
Source: http://www.ci.east-grand-forks.mn.us/fire/gallery/burn/burn.htm consumed.
Arson Facts in America
According to the FBI Crime Index, juvenile and adult arson cause an annual average of
560,000 fires, 750 deaths, 3,700 injuries, and $1.5 billion in property loss. 55% of all
arson arrests in the US are children under 18.

What are Common Motives for Arson?

• Crime concealment: To conceal another crime such as murder, burglary, or vehicle.
• Revenge or spite: To get back at someone for a perceived injustice.
• Monetary Gain: Arson-for-Profit fires are set to burn a building, vehicle, or some other object in
order to gain profit from the fire. The profit may come in several forms; from insurance coverage on
the property, or from putting a competitor out of business.
• Malicious Vandalism: Fire set to someone’s property, just to destroy it. Malicious vandalism fires
account for the largest percentage of arson fires. These fires are frequently set by juveniles.
• Mentally Disturbed: Some persons have been found to have an irresistible impulse to set fires.

Source: http://www.state.il.us/osfm/Arson/ArsonIsAFelonyCrime.htm
 Juvenile Firesetting
Fires set by juveniles are usually the result of a child or teenager experimenting with fire
with a lack of understanding of the consequences. Others fires may be started by troubled
children as a “cry for help” or as acts of vandalism.
The facts ...
In Rochester, New York, a two year old, playing with matches, started a fire that took his life
and the lives of five family members.
In Roanoke, Virginia, a seven year old boy set fire to a chair in an abandoned building, the
fire spread to an adjacent house and trapped an elderly woman.
In Passaic, New Jersey, a firefighter was killed and hundreds of people lost their homes in a
fire started by a group of teenage boys.
These tragic events are not isolated incidents. In a typical year, in the U. S., 300 people are
killed and $190 million in property is destroyed in fires set by children. Children themselves
are usually the victims of these fires accounting for 85 of every 100 lives lost.

Source: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/txt/publications/l-240.txt
North Carolina Law says …
•If the dwelling burned was occupied at the time of the
burning, the offense is arson in the first degree and is
punishable as a Class D felony.

•Punishment: 40 years and/or fine

•If the dwelling burned was unoccupied at the time of the

burning, the offense is arson in the second degree and is
punishable as a Class G felony
•Punishment: 15 years and/or fine
Source: http://www.state.il.us/osfm/Arson/Statutes.doc
What can you do to help prevent arson or arson damage?
Report suspicious persons and activities that may result in arson.

If you have a friend or classmates that has set fires in the past or plans to set a fire,
tell an adult – parent, teacher, counselor, police officer, or a fireman.

Start or participate in a community watch program with your parents.

Install and properly maintain fire alarms in your home and encourage friends and
relatives to do the same. Your family should also have a fire escape plan for your
home.