Arson Unit Flashcards
What is arson?
The conflagration, or uncontrolled burning, of any real property without consent or with unlawful intent
How is fire produced?
Oxygen is united (combustion) to another substance to produce heat and light energy (large amount of energy is released)
What is necessary for combustion?
Fuel must be present (any hydrocarbon)
Sufficient oxygen gas available
Heat applied to initiate and sustain combustion
What is ignition temperature?
Temperature needed to start a fire of a substance
What is flash point?
The lowest temperature at which liquid may combust in air
What is smoldering?
When fuel burns without the presence of a flame (charcoal), burns at interface between fuel and air
What is spontaneous combustion?
Natural heat production in a poorly vented area
What is pyrolysis?
Solid decomposes into gaseous state due to high temperature
What is heat of combustion?
Heat evolved (released) when a substance burns
What factors control fire speed?
Amount of oxygen gas
Speed of particles (temperature)
State of the fuel
What are burn patterns? What are they good for?
Marks and char that remain after fire; can tell direction, duration and even source of fire
What are some key signs of arson?
Separate unconnected fires
Steamers to spread fire from one area to another
Containers that may hold accelerant, odor
Ignition devices
Traces of flammable liquid residue
What is gas chromatography used for?
To separate and detect mixtures of volatile organic compounds
How does gas chromatography work?
It distributes compounds of a mixture between inert gas mobile phase and solid stationary phase
