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Unit 36 - Forensic Fire Investigation Assignment 1 (Merit)
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Assignment 1Merit
How are Fires Started?
For a fire to be started it requires three important components which are as follows; oxygen, a fuel source
(something which burns), and an ignition source (heat) – it’s essentially anything which is capable of giving off
enough energy which can lead to the ignition of potential sources of fuel. Fires are typically categorised under
two categories and these are; Accidental Fires and Intentional Fires, however for these fires to take place they
require an ignition source. An ignition source is known as anything which has the capability of proving enough
energy to cause the ignition of potential sources of fuel.
As stated above fires are categorised into two categories, Accidental
Fires are fires which typically involve no malicious human contact,
examples of accidental fires could be; a candle which was left
unattended or even an electrical appliance malfunction. Whereas,
an intentional fire is a fire where the individual who was igniting the
fire did it purposely, often with a malicious intention – this is an act
which goes by the term arson. Arson is known as a criminal act
whereby an individual or individuals maliciously or wilfully set fire to
property – this will be explained in more detail later on. One of the
major challenges of a fire investigator is to distinguish between
accidental fires and intentional fires. Usually fires which are
accidental won’t be prosecuted. However, if an accidental fire takes
place through demonstrably gross negligence or even a casual
disregard for the consequences of setting the fire, these fires can in
fact ceased to be judged as accidental and instead may be viewed as
intentional fires. In 2003 more than half of the individuals which
were arrested for setting fires of both types were under 18 years of age. Children which are under the age of 7
typically don’t set intentional fires, but instead set accidental fires which are more or less exclusively the result
of their curiosity. Children which are between the ages of 8-12, tend to lighter a greater proportion of
intentional fires compared to fires which are of an accidental manner – intentional fires which are set by these
individuals are more often than not the cause of a manifestation of deeper psychological problems. Fires which
are set by adults accidently come in numerous forms. In the media the most widely depicted accidental fires is
the drunk individual who whilst smoking a cigarette falls to sleep, setting the bed alight. In fact, cigarettes are
the largest source of accidental fires within the home. However, over recent years in an attempt to prevent the
ever-increasing rate of accidental fires involving cigarettes, advancements have taken place whereby the
composition of cigarettes have been changed so that if left unattended they’re less likely to burn. Although
fires are usually either accidental or intentional, occasionally the cause of a fire won’t be able to be ascertained
due to the lack of evidence present and therefore, instead will be classed as undetermined.
There are many types of ignition sources which can lead to accidental fires and some of these are as follows;
Lightening
Electrical
Spontaneous Combustion
Friction
Mechanical Sparks
Smoking
Electromagnetic Waves
Chemical reactions which can lead to ignition through be exothermic enough to do so.
There are many types of ignition sources which can lead to intentional fires and some of these are as follows;
Fireworks
Chemical Reactions
A hot or smoldering object
Gas/electrical
Matches & Lighters
1
, Assignment 1
All of the ignition sources stated above start fires in various way. Below I will explain three accidental fires in
further detail:
Electrical Fires
Electrical fires are common in homes and have many common occurrences. There are said to be five main
causes of electrical fires and these are as follows; One of the five causes are faulty appliances/outlets, in fact
the majority of electrical fires occur through faulty electrical outlets as well as old outdated appliances.
However, other accidental fires are caused by faults within appliance cords, switches and receptacles. It’s
important that an appliance which has a frayed or worn cord should NEVER be used this is because it could
send heat onto surfaces which are combustible, such as; rugs, curtains and floors – this could lead to a fire
starting. In regard to this further causes of electrical fires are running cords under rugs, removing from a cord
its grounding plug, so it can be used in a two-prong electrical outlet, this could also cause a fire. The reason
why appliances have the extra prong is to allow them to be used in outlets which are able handle the extra
amount of electricity which is drawn by these appliances. Another factor here is that if cords are able to be
plugged into an outlet much too easily or if they simply fall out as time passes, then the device/outlet needs to
be replaced as this can be a fire hazard and must be replaced to prevent a fire from occurring. These loose
connections can cause intermittent surges in power and it this happens the electrical appliance should be
replaced as a surge can cause a fire. Another main cause of electrical fires is light fixtures, such as; light bulbs
and lamps. For example; a bulb which had too high of a wattage being installed into a lamp, is one of the
leading causes of these fires. Therefore, it’s important that the maximum recommended bulb wattage on ANY
lighting fixture should be checked and this recommended amount should never be exceeded. Also, placing
materials e.g. paper or cloth over a lampshade is another fire cause, this is because the material will heat up
before igniting and essentially causing a fire. A third main cause of electrical fires are extension cords,
particularly the misuse of them. This is because appliances should directly be plugged into an outlet and not
plugged in to an extension cord for an extensive period of time. It’s important to note that extension cords
should ideally only be used as a temporary measure. The fourth cause is space heaters. The main reason for
these causing an electrical fire is due to the fact that these heaters are portable and more often than not
individuals will tend to put them far too close to surfaces which are combustible, such as; beds, curtains,
chairs, couches, clothing and rugs. A specific one, known as a coil space heater in
particular is dangerous due to the fact the coils become so hot that they’ll ignite
any nearby flammable surfaces almost instantaneously. Finally, the final cause is
wiring. Wiring which is outdated tends to cause electrical fires. For example; in a
home which is over 20 years old, it may no longer have the wiring capacity for it to
handle the increased amounts of electrical appliances within today’s average
home. When circuits become overloaded with too much electricity, breakers are
usually triggered, however, in breaker boxes which are outdated there’s often
worn out connectors which no longer work, this causes an overload on the system,
thus starting an electrical fire – here, the homeowner is often unaware of the
faulty components, leading to an accidental fire.
In the UK homes there are over 20,000 electrical fires each year. 89% (9/10) of these fires are caused through
electrical products. Whereas, 11% are caused by faulty installations or by individuals not using installations
correctly. The risk of an electrical fire within the home can be decreased through having the electricals within
the home regularly checked and through taking some precautions with electrical appliances. In the UK the five
most common products in the home which cause electrical fires are as follows; electrical lighting, electrical
cooking appliances (e.g. microwaves & cookers, *excluding deep fat fryers*), laundry appliances (tumble
dryers, washing machines) , portable heaters, & TV’s. Electrical fires are known as class C fires; however, class
C fires are able to become class A fires (ordinary combustibles), this is because if the material in flames
become cut off from the main source of power. For example; a fire regarding a computer is unplugged from an
electrical outlet. It’s important to note that this is not ALWAYS possible or safe to do, and it can be unclear if
an appliance is cut completely off from its power source. If water is used on Class C fires that are still being
fuelled by an electric power source it can lead to dangerous results taking place, or worse it could end up being
fatal. An individual which is fighting an electrical fire could possibly be electrocuted if an extinguisher which is
water-based in utilised in an attempt to control a Class C fire. It’s important for comprehensive fire safety that
an individual has a class C fire extinguisher is knows how to properly use it. For a fire which is still connected to
an electrical source a class C fire extinguisher is the only suitable fire extinguisher type which is able to
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