Arson and Explosions

Chapter 14

Arson & Explosions

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.
Motives for Arson?

• Crime concealment

• Revenge or spite

• Monetary Gain

• Malicious Vandalism

• Mentally Disturbed

Source: http://www.state.il.us/osfm/Arson/ArsonIsAFelonyCrime.htm
 What is Fire?
•Oxygen combines with something to produce
heat and light (Oxidation Reaction)
•EX. CH4 + 2O2 CO2 + 2H2O+ Energy
•Reaction is Exothermic
•More energy released than needed to break
bonds
Chemicals that supply oxygen are known
as oxidizing agents (O2, H2SO4)

Not all oxidation reactions result in flames!

– rusting
– metabolism
What are the ingredients to make
fire?
Fuel= combustible material in any
state of matter - solid, liquid, or gas.

Most solids and liquids become a

vapor or gas before they will burn.

FUEL

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

FUEL

HEAT OXYGEN
Heat is the energy necessary to
increase the temperature of the fuel to
a point where sufficient vapors are given
off for ignition to occur.

FUEL

HEAT OXYGEN
Stages of Fire of Fire
 Incipient Stage
• Ignition via match, lightning, magnifying
glass or spark
• Increase in temperature
• Fuel either on fire or smoldering
Ignition Temperature
– Temperature a substance needs to reach
before it begins to burn
– The heat from burning causes further
oxidations which causes further burning

Gasoline 536 Degrees F

Turpentine 488 Degrees F
Kerosene 410 Degrees F

Accelerant: any material used to

start or sustain a fire.
 Growth Stage
• Temperature increasing
• Fire grows slowly or fast depending on
factors like fuel and oxygen
• “Fire feeds fire”; An 18 Degree increase in
temp doubles and triples rate of reactions
Oxidation reactions
• Hazardous toxic gases produced
 What Is Really On Fire?
• Solids vs. Liquids vs.
Gases

More chance of collisions in gas form=more

chance of chemical reactions
Gases Ignite
 Full Development/Active Fire
Stage
• Flashover begins this stage=
– Simultaneous ignition of all combustibles
– Occurs when items are rapidly heated to
pyrolysis temperatures
Flashover
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqMVm72FMRk
– “Raging” Fire
 Volatile Gases burning rich in H, C, O

Rising Carbon=Soot

At base will be “Char”=Pure Carbon (Solid)

Also have Ash=Nonburnables (Ca,K etc.)
 Full Development/Active Fire
Stage:
• Backdraft near the end of this stage
– Often explosive event
– Sudden feed of Oxygen
• Via window opening or roof collapse
– Sudden flash combustion of remaining fuel
– Backdraft
 Decay Stage
• Fuel Diminishes and/or Fire Fighting
Successful
• Temperature decreasing
• Still may smolder
 Spontaneous
Combustion
• Burning resulting from natural
heat-generating reactions
– Ex. Hay and heat-producing
bacteria
– If no ventilation, heat builds to
combustion
– Ex. Oily rags
– Slow accumulation of heat from oils
oxidizing with air
 Fire Scene Search
Search immediately without warrant-Fire Marshal
Scene Processing:
1. Work from low damage area to high charring
2. Document and Interview Witnesses
3. Look at ceilings-Point above origin has most damage from
longest exposure
4. Look at light bulbs-they bulge when exposed to 900 degrees F
for 10min (Side that bulges point towards origin
5. Soot on glass=slow smolder burn
6. Cracked glass=hot fire
7. Color of flames=Tells what temperature was fire
8. Color of smoke=Tells what was burning
9. Collect Samples
 Fire Scene Search-Fire Origin
V-pattern charring
above point of origin

Wind can distort the Vs

 Frig. Fire
• Yellow- V
• Red- Origin
• Green-Debris “drop
down”

http://www.croberts.com/Burn-pattern-
analysis.htm
 Stove fire

http://www.croberts.com/Burn-pattern-analysis.htm
Electrical Fire???
• Your thoughts…

http://www.croberts.com/Burn-pattern-
analysis.htm
• 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.
– Narrow V= hot fire helped along by maybe an
accelerant.
– Wide V= maybe slow burning fire.
– U-shape= "pool of origin” maybe a puddle of
gasoline
 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.
 Char Patterns and Accelerant Use
• Often
characterized by
intermixed light,
medium, and
heavy burning in
a puddle shape
that corresponds
to the shape of
the original pool
of the ignitable
liquid.
 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
 Havana – Laurel Street
Practice Burn Photographs

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 Fire fighters look on as the
primary goal if trapped. fire spreads across a room.
The house is nearly
Source: http://www.ci.east-grand-forks.mn.us/fire/gallery/burn/burn.htm completely consumed.
 Accident or Arson?
• Accidental Nature
– Heating System
– Electrical appliances
– Lightning
– Children playing with matches
– Smoking

Image: Havana Rural Fire Department

 Signs of an Arsonist
• Signs of Break-in
• Ignition Device
• Streamers or Trailers to spread
 Clues to Arson
• Fire spreads upward and outward
(“Chimney Effect”)
– If it goes downward from origin, it is strange
 Clues to Arson
• Charring on floors and even under furniture
and appliances is abnormal (probable
accelerant)
 Clues to Arson
• Odors – Gas, kerosene, or other accelerants
• Two or more points of origin
• Look for inverted v-patterns (can be a sign that
an accelerant was used)
• Room floors usually don’t burn (below ignition
temp)
• Room corners and edges don’t burn (low air
areas)
• No personal effects (Insurance fraud)
• Holes in wall
• Doors propped open
• All Drapes closed
Tools of Investigator
“Sniffer”=Vapor Detector

Arson Dog
 Problems for Investigator
• Perp long gone
• Evidence destroyed
– Burnt
– Wet
 Good News
• Accelerants might seep into protective
cracks in floor and wall
• Might have seeped into rugs, upholstery,
rags etc.
• Accelerant mixed with water from firemen
will slow evaporation
 Evidence Collection
• 2 to 3 quarts of ash from origin
• Collect suspicious rug, floor, cloth
samples
• Collect control samples
• Package in airtight tin can containers
fill cans 2/3 full (top space for gas
analysis)
• Don’t use plastic bags since they
react with vapors
 Evidence Processing
• Heat evidence container to volatize any
remaining liquids
• Vapors exit through a tube in can
• Gas Chromatography-MS
Gasoline
Residues

• Unevaporated gasoline

• 90% evaporated gasoline

• Unevaporated kerosene

• 90% evaporated kerosine*

 Connect to Arsonist
• On suspect
– Match book
– Clothing has residue
Court
 Explosions
Motivation:
• Terror
• Individual Revenge
– Destroy people
– Destroy property
• Mischief
• Accident (gas leak)
What is an explosion?
 Explosion
• Physical Explosion:
=mechanical action
resulting in the rapid
expansion of gases
=Kinetic energy released
Chemical Explosion=
fast reaction to produce heat, light
and gas expansion (Kinetic and Thermal
Event)

“Energetic Materials” release lots of energy

in a short time from a compact volume of
material
 Evidence Collection
• Powerful explosions
leave craters

1,000 pound explosive crater

Damage from High Explosives

• Shock Wave
• Heat
• Flying Debris
Materials
 Evidence Collection
• CSI members wear bunny suits to prevent
contamination
• Collect crater soil samples for explosive
residue
• Examine soft objects (wood, insulation,
rubber etc.) near origin for residue
Piecing together bombings

Pan Am Flight 103

TWA Flight 300
USS Cole in Yemen
400-700 lbs of
Explosives
London Bombings
 EGIS

•Vacuum captures vapors

•High speed chromatography of vapors
•Screens for explosive residues
 Analysis
• Microscopic examination for
traces of explosive powders
(Visual)
• Dissolve powder in acetone
– Color Test
– TLC
– HPLC
– GC-Mass Spectrometry
 Evidence Storage
• Metal Cans
• Avoid plastics since vapors can escape
plastic bag
 Taggant Program
• Color-coded chips
added to explosives
• Florescent and
magnetic
• Has data of origin and
date of production