SIGHTS AND SIGNS OF ARSON
FIRE REPORTS
With arson a growing problem in the United States, all fires, regardless of how small, should be investigated since information on these fires may be essential in developing a pattern of the firesetter. This cannot be done if evidence is destroyed during fire fighting operations.
Arson is estimated to account for 25 percent of all fires and nearly $ 15 billion in indirect fire losses each year. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 154,500 structural fires in 1981 were labeled incendiary or suspicious.
No facility is immune to the threat of arson. And the threat of arson is continuously on the rise.
The motives for arson encompass a wide range of reasons – arson for profit, crime concealment, civil unrest, revenge, vandalism, entertainment, psychological compulsion, intimidation.
Minor’ fires can often indicate the presence of an arsonist or signal the start of a serious problem. Therefore, it is important for fire fighters to hold fire fighting damage to a minimum (knock down the fire and hit the hot spots) until investigators arrive. Only after it has been determined if the fire is suspicious should overhaul be done.
The methods of setting fires are just as varied as the motives.
At the fifth annual fire and arson investigation training conference, sponsored by the Pinellas Arson Co-op and the Florida Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators, an explosive device using gasoline and black powder was placed in the front room of a single-story, wood-frame house. The accompanying photos illustrate the explosive damage that occurred over a period of 2.5 seconds. The fire was allowed to burn for one minute before being extinguished by local fire departments, and an “investigation” was conducted to determine cause.
Other incendiary devices include pipe bombs, which often leave traces of shrapnel at the fire scene; Mr. Coffee machines, a good cover-up for arsonists who operate the coffeemakers in the manner warned against in the instructions; hot plates; gasoline; natural gas; the list goes on.
and
CHIEF
There are certain signs that should cause fire fighters to suspect arson. Several indications include: two or more fires simultaneously burning in a building; evidence of accelerants (gas odors, color of smoke and flames); signs that heat built up quickly and the fire burned faster than it normally should have; absence of personal items and pets in residential structures; unburned papers or other combustibles leading from the point of fire origin; unlocked premises; or signs of burglary.
According to an arson report by Susan Moger of the Department of Technology and Society at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, despite the fact that there is an increase in anti-arson activity on every level, the fires still burn. “‘Nobody is unconcerned about arson,’ write the authors of yet another federal report. They all agree it is a problem that needs work. They just believe someone else is working on it.'”
