Cause of a Fire Subject to a Criminal Investigation Physico-Chemical Aspects of Fire; Their Influence on the Investigation

• NCJ Number: 137235
• Author(s): J Martin
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 244 pages
• Sale Source: New York State
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: French
• Country: Switzerland
• Note: Doctoral Thesis presented to the Institute of Scientific Police and Criminology of the University of Lausanne

Annotation

This dissertation shows how physical, chemical, and mathematical knowledge can help in the criminal investigation of fires.

Abstract

The paper focuses on three ways of investigating fires. First, if overheating caused the fire, the igniting substance can often be determined by using heat conduction laws and by comparing the temperature attained by the heat source to the flashpoint of flammable substances. Second, if the cause of the fire was spark, arcing, or heat radiation, the investigation must analyze the physical conditions in which the fire occurred. In this case, the temperature cannot be determined as it may be high enough to ignite most flammable materials. Last, if the fire cannot be analyzed thermo-dynamically or if it started through an obvious flame, a factual description of the situation or the behavior of the flame will suffice. The paper includes an extensive bibliography and scientific charts.