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Arson

Arson. Chapter 7. Determining Where & How. Point of Origin Most damage V Pattern Eyewitnesses. Accident vs Incendiary. Search for Accelerants and/or Ignitors Accelerants Almost always overused Collect in areas that won’t burn

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Arson

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  1. Arson Chapter 7

  2. Determining Where & How • Point of Origin • Most damage • V Pattern • Eyewitnesses

  3. Accident vs Incendiary • Search for Accelerants and/or Ignitors • Accelerants • Almost always overused • Collect in areas that won’t burn • Discovered using an arson dog or a Vapor Trace Analyzer (VTA)

  4. Tools in the Field Arson Dog VTA

  5. Ignitors • Most common is a match. • The striking surface on matchboxes is typically composed of powdered glass and red phosphorus • The match head is primarily composed of potassium chlorate

  6. In The Lab… • Once collected, accelerants are usually analyzed by a Gas Chromatographer – Mass Spectometer (GC-MS) • Gas Chromatographer breaks the accelerant down into its simplest chemicals • Mass Spectrometer identifies those chemicals to ID the accelerant

  7. GC-MS

  8. Searching for Victims • Asphyxia • Normal CO levels in non-smoker are <5% • Approx. 5% in smokers • House fires can reach 45-90% CO levels • At 20% CO levels, dizziness & confusion • At 35% CO levels, weakness & loss of coordination • At 50%+ CO levels, loss of consciousness or death

  9. Searching for Victims • Most bodies aren’t cremated in a house fire. • House fires only reach about 500-2,000oF and are put out in less than an hour from starting • Cremating a body requires 1,500oF for 2 hours

  10. Searching for Victims • The medical examiner will look for two things to identify death by asphyxiation • 1. Soot in mouth, throat, and lungs • 2. Carboxyhemoglobin • The CO will bind to hemoglobin in blood. • Blood, organs, and muscles will turn bright red as a result.

  11. Carboxyhemoglobin

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