FIRE INVESTIGATIONS

INTRODUCTION

THE CHEMISTRY OF FIRE

• Fire is a type of oxidation
• Ignition temperature is the minimum temperature needed to spontaneously ignite fuel.
• Rate or speed at which oxidation reaction takes place.

CHEMISTRY OF FIRE

• A liquid burns when the temperature is high enough to vaporize it
• Spontaneous combustion
• For combustion: fuel must be present, oxygen must be available, heat must be applied

HEAT TRANSFER

THE FIRE SCENE

• Must examine signs of arson as soon as fire is extinguished
• Must focus on finding the fire's orgin
• Signs of arson include evidence of separate and unconnected fires

COLLECTION

• Fire, ash, and soot must be collected
• Search for igniters
• Traces of flammable liquid can be found with a vapor detector.

GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY

• A gas chromatograph detects and characterizes flammable residue
• Majority of arsons ignited by gasoline or kerosene
• Can be used to find the accelerate used

CITATIONS

• Fire. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 27 Mar 2015.
• FIRE. Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 27 Mar 2015
• FIRE . Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 27 Mar 2015.
• FIRE . Photography. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 27 Mar 2015.
• Fire. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 27 Mar 2015.