Fire Debris Sample Collecting

Fire Debris Sample Collecting Fire Debris Sample Areas Areas likely to contain traces of ignitable liquid: Depressions or low regions of burned area Insulated areas within a pattern Porous substrates in contact with the pattern Examples: Cloth Paper products Wood Seams or cracks Lightly burned edges of the pattern Fire Debris Evidence Paper and trash will not yield much evidence Use of an accelerate will aid in a rapid start Was a chemical device used? (Ex. Flares) Any signs of an electronic device that could purposely delay the initiation of the fire? Unburned portions of chemical and electronic devices may be left behind. Collecting Fire Debris Along with sample from point of origin, a control sample should be collected. (material from a different room/location Carpet fibers (synthetics) may be “petroleum” based. Fire Debris Transport Transfer collected samples in a tightly sealed container (glass jar or metal can). Role of Accelerants Aid in the initial ignition and potential spread pattern of the fire. Usually in debris making finding it a challenge because it tend to be dirty and contaminated Accelerant Sample Processing Send to lab in clean vapor tight containers Ex. Paint cans (not plastic containers) One of three techniques should be used Heated Headspace Gas Chromatography Adsorption Strip Solvent wash Remember During a fire/explosion investigation do not forget about collecting other forensic evidence… Shoeprints DNA Toolmakers Blood Fingerprints… Link to Lecture Slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rIMwtkD0lYkESdS_-bEgFEVZEPm7GLzJ/view?usp=sharing *Due to the description character limit the full work cited for "Fire Debris Sample Collecting" can be viewed at... https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iqPeSWYDqeWQjU0XWnw50YtSXSMcA60z/view?usp=sharing