Guest Author - Robin Rounds Whittemore

Fire can be fun and useful if it is used to burn candles, start bonfires and to barbecue a steak, or grill veggies. Fires can be necessary when it is used to signal a rescue plane or ship. It is great to be able to burn the trash in your backyard and not send so many things to the dump. Fire can be entertaining like the fire eater act at the circus. Romance is in the air when you are snuggled up with a special someone in front of a fireplace.

There are different causes for fires; natural, accidental, of unknown origin, suspicious and incendiary. A natural fire is caused by something like lightning. When a fire is accidental, then it has started because someone was playing with matches, or cooking was left unattended, etc. If investigators are unable to determine what caused the fire, then it is of unknown origin.
To be a suspicious fire, it looks as if arson has been committed, but they are not certain. That leaves us with incendiary, which is a definite arson job.

It is called arson when a fire is set to deliberately destroy something. The person who sets the fire is called an arsonist. Pyromaniacs are people who have irresistible urges to set fires. Arsonists have a purpose. Structures of all types have fallen victim to arson, as have automobiles, acreage, and even people.

On July 3, 1983, the Winn-Dixie in Clair Mel, Florida was open for business and many people were there shopping for the upcoming holiday celebration. A man walked in the store with a bucket of gasoline. He threw the gasoline at the checkout stands. He lit a match, and when all was said and done, five people were dead and thirteen others were burned.

In some cases, insurance fraud is committed by arsonists. In many instances, valuables are removed before the fire hits, then it is claimed to have burned in the fire. The insurance company investigates, and if they find no evidence to the contrary, the money is paid out, while the valuable item is still around. Sometimes people even try to burn cars in an attempt to get money from an insurance company. This is also known as profit motivated arson. Most cases of arson for fraud purposes do not involve any bodily harm.

Revenge is another reason that some people destroy things. A disgruntled employee, for instance, could set a fire to ruin his former boss. It is not just disgruntled employees that can set fires. In Australia, in June of 2007, a man was arrested when he torched the home of two friends that he thought had drugged and raped him.

Extremists have been known to set fire to further a cause. The attacks on 9/11 are usually the first thing that comes to mind. Abortion clinics are another well known target for this type of activity. Other examples can include slaughterhouses, and animal laboratories. In the UK, in 2006, a man pled guilty to arson charges stemming from attacks on homes of people with connections to a pharmaceutical research laboratory.

The type of punishment that an arsonist receives varies by jurisdiction. Usually, they can count on a jail sentence, other penalties, and possibly fines. In 2007, Greek citizens petitioned their government to make arson a capital offense.

Not all fires are set on purpose, as you know. Some fires happen by accident, carelessness or neglect. They can come from unattended cooking, candles, burning cigarettes, and just plain carelessness. In planning, arsonists try to take advantage of that. They fray cords in an attempt to make the fire look like it was caused by faulty wiring. They can light a candle and make sure items around it catch on fire. That would be an example of a time delay device. It doesn’t start the fire quickly and there is enough time for the arsonist to make an escape.

As you see in movies, some people pour gasoline or another flammable substance on a rug, and then set it on fire. Those are called accelerants, as they start a fire quickly. Other accelerants can be those you may have even used to start a harmless fire in the fireplace or a bonfire. Stacks of wood, even furniture can be an accelerant. Paper spread out over a floor to cover more square footage is an accelerant.

Fires can destroy evidence, but not in every case. The tiniest places can still hold fingerprints. Even after a fire has burned off and cools, the investigators can still find fingerprints and footprints in softened paint that has hardened. Substances like putty, and even blood, when dried can hold evidence.

Should the fire be started with a bomb or other explosive device, it usually leaves a crater where it went off. A Molotov cocktail is one well known arson bomb.

Part of an investigation will include asking witnesses if they saw anyone suspicious around the place before the fire. Investigators also look for empty cans or buckets that could have been filled with flammable liquids. They look for timers, switches or any other electrical wiring or devices in the rubble.

There are many different types of fires, and even more reasons that people have for setting them. This article can by no means cover them all. Even fire investigators will tell you that not all arsonists get caught, and sometimes proving that a fire is actually arson may be difficult at best. It can be frustrating, but when a culprit is caught, it gives them priceless emotional rewards.