Cigarettes and Causes of Fires Under Special Conditions - Essay Example

FIRE INVESTIGATION By Student’s Name Code + Name of Course Professor Institution City/State Date FIRE INVESTIGATION Introduction Smoking is normally considered as the principal cause of fires in many residential set ups. This is because of several aspects like incorrect disposal of materials from cigarettes in trashcans, butts of cigarette falling in between pillows or cushions in furniture, and individuals falling asleep as they smoke from their bed among other aspects (Tawadrous 2000, p. 18). A typical event whereby such fires happen is when dropped cigarettes butts, owing to express manufacturing of not going out until they are completely consumed, light through the covers of mattresses or seat cushions. These cigarette butts can smoulder for several hours and eventually ignite a flame. Such hidden fires release harmful gases, which make sleeping people unconscious after which the mattress or cushion bursts into fire. Nevertheless, the cause of the fire has to be determined by forensic experts. This is because,on many occasions, cigarettes have been incorrectly associated with the real cause of the fire (Forensic Science Central 2011, n.pg). Investigation Methods for Determining Fire Causes, Fire Dynamics, and the Ability to Apply These Methods Even before putting out a fire, experts in fire forensic are usually at work attempting to establish how such a fire happened. Regardless of the devastation caused by fire, there are some clues trailing, which might not have been destroyed. The cause can be trailed even upon putting out the fire. This represents a globally acknowledged procedure, which is based on the manner in which flames burn. The fire scene is observed, and thereafter, an interpretation is drawn over what happened by considering the way the material was burnt. According to Faith (2000, p. 16), three significant aspects affect fire: fuel, weather, and topography. All fires begin small, as events of low-intensity, but when it goes under the outcome of these essentials, they burn in one direction more than others. Identifying Ignition: By investigating variables like wind, fire investigators can tell how a fire has advanced, as well as its probable ignition location. For example, a deficiency of other measures or a powerful westerly wind suggests that the fire might have started from the eastward direction, and the manner in which grass or other vegetationis burnt will back up this fact. This confirmation can be useful in tracking a fire to its location of ignition. Fire investigators analyse several indicators, which offer clues on the direction of the fire. This comprises 'foliage freeze', where when fire burns through vegetation, it abandons the leaves 'frozen' in a given direction (ABC Science 2008, n.pag). The fire produces heat, which dries the vegetation, and therefore, freezing it in that position as it is moved by the wind. Another pointer is discoloration on tree trucks and rocks. This is where an impression is created through the vapours and oils the fire generates. These will tint on the section of the origin of the fire. The bare side on the direction of fire will burn powerfully and seem more intensely charred. The other side of the rock or tree will experience less combustion. Grass burns differently. A fire burning through grass stems will show that one section of the shoot will be bevelled lower compared to the other section. It is observed that in the hollow grass shoots, the stem slants down in the direction of the origin. A combination of these indicators informs investigators the way the fire travelled, as well as its origin. Upon the determination of the ignition area, the investigators get down onto their knees and hands and begin scrutinizing through every remnant material, searching for misplaced items (Tawadrous 2000, p. 22). Sourcing the Cause: There are different causes of fire like equipment failures, campfires, flaming cigarettes, lightning, power line faults, and arson among others. Investigators can document several causes by going through the indicators at the scene of fire. In lightning fires, there are usually charred timber and shards of branches from trees. The existence of lightning damaged wood is likely to be associated with the start and ignition of fire. In a similar manner, clashing or fallen power lines at a scene of fire is inadequate evidence to lead to the source of ignition of a fire. The confirmation of the damages to a power line and the associated infrastructure is not connected with the fire burning in that given region. Locating other evidence items like molten metal or metal fragments from a line lying down within the site where the fire commenced can assist in building a substantivecase (Forensic Science Central 2011, n.pg). Whereas thrown-away cigarette butts are normally associated with fire causes, research has established that cigarettes only start fires under narrow circumstances. Whereas they cannot be wholly ruled out, the fires are not common (Karlsson & James 2002, p.18). Cigarette butts usually endure fires. Basing on this research, the capability for the remnant causing a fire, suggests that it has to come into contact with fuel, and it should land at a specific angle. For example, a cigarette that lands on a common carpet would mostly yield a small burn that would not grow beyond the adjacent locality of the pale tip. In a similar manner, a cigarette that lands on a paper sheet would unlikely produce nothing more than a minor and localized charring. In waste disposal bins where there is considerable quantity of crumpled and torn papers, it is hard to yield anything more than a slight smouldering fire that may last for very few minutes. However, absorbent tissue can smoulder for a substantial time. Equally, the parameters of weather have to be very precise. For example, on an extremely cold day, it is highly improbable that a discarded cigarette will begin a grass fire. Most fires by the wayside are incorrectly associated with discarded cigarette butts, when quite often they are started by carbon exhaust elements from diesel engines or failures of catalytic converters of vehicles (ABC Science 2008, n.pag). Cigarettes are regularly impugned as the origin of fire even in situations when the settings are clearly unavailable. Petrol vapour cannot customarily be burst into flames by a glowing cigarette. This fact has been proved by much experimentation. There have been numerous tests carried out in different conditions to determine this fact. In common with natural gas and other flammable liquids, petrol cannot be ignited in such a manner. A likely justification is that the relatively low charge of the flammability level for petrol suggests a high requirement for oxygen in order to ignite petrol vapour. Near a glowing cigarette tip, there may be inadequate oxygen to ignite the petrol Where there are deliberately lit fires, the remnants of the first ignition source have to be identified. This evidence is later analysedby forensic scientists in detail to assist in identifying where the fire originated. For instance, there have been cases of investigators tracking down the matches used in cases of arsonback to their origin (Faith 2000, pg 16). Fire Investigation Processes and Evidence and Roles of Personnel Associated With Fire Investigations Fire investigation entails the analysis of fire-related events after fire fighters have contained a fire. The investigation includes a close survey of damaged scenes to inaugurate the source of the fire and finally in establishing its reasons (Lentini 2006, pg. 6). Safety: The first concern in any fire incident location is safety. The type of location has an amplified safety factor with probable risks like structural collapse, gas mains, heated materials, or, dangerous combustible products. The incident area is assessed to guarantee the safety of the fire fighters or recurrence of a fire. Witnesses: Information associated with fire is gathered from the witnesses available. Such people provide details of the fire from the scene, e.g., apparent spreading of fire, colour of smoke or suspicious activities. Onlookers might have taken important video recordings or photographs of the incident using their cameras (Lentini 2006, pg. 7). Scene Examination: A fire scene should be firmly cordoned to protect evidence and permit access to officials only. The evidence and scene should be fully recorded. Here, the weather conditions are noted, and this includes wind and temperature conditions as they can affect the fire in terms of direction and propagation. Establishing the Source: Here, the fire forensic investigators seek to establish the seat of the fire. Different indicators can be employed to establish the possible source. The area where the fire probably started will usually burn for a longer time and will thus experience the worst damage. Establishing the Cause: Establishing the cause of fire is usually aided by siting the source of the fire. At this point, the investigator can look for characteristics that are associated with the eruption. The investigator will determine whether the fire was natural, accidental, deliberate or undetermined (Lentini 2006, p. 7). Excavation and Reconstruction: For proper establishment of the origin and reason of a fire, the expert may be compelled to exhume and reconstruct the location. In the course of burning, structures may collapse, and in the process, shield the seat of the fire by debris, which have to be removed carefully. Evidence Collection and Analysis: In evidence collection during the fire scene investigation, a similar rigorous and anti-contamination means should be used in scenes of crime to gather information. In suspected arson cases, samples are gathered from the scene for the examination of accelerants. The investigators may have to bring in hydrocarbon sniffers or detection dogs to identify the volatile elements (Lentini 2006, p. 8). Analysis and Critique of Fire Investigation Reports from Fire Incidents Once the elements of the fire have been analysed, the experts will document reports of the whole event. The analysis of the cause and seat of fire is usually interpreted differently. Studies on reports on fire have attributed different causes of fire to either arson activities, smoking, lightning, or undetermined causes. A report on a fire, which started in London in a famous building was concluded as an arson attack. The investigators discovered that, in the incident, the arsonists made efforts of concealing a criminal offence by setting up a fire. The report determined that the flames could have been started to conceal a murder. However, an accident was ruled out as the cause of the fire because it is very unlikely that the body of the victim would be destroyed in such a type of fire. This is because it would require temperatures of over hundreds of degrees Celsius burning for two to three hours. Investigations revealed that the arsonists started the fire next to a pile of newspapers close to a potential ignition origin (Forensic Science Central 2011, n.pg). The arsonists attempted to block windows to ensure the fire had developed and placed objects to prevent entrance of fire fighters into the building. In another fires incident, smouldering was linked with the cause of the fire. However, the smouldering process occurs as a flameless combustion, which happens at very low concentrations of oxygen and continues at a very sluggish rate. A common illustration of smouldering fire is a burning cigarette. Heat from such a source normally chars the adjacent tobacco (Tawadrous 2000, p. 28). As combustion continues down the cigarette, various compounds are released from the cigarette in a manner, which relies on the explosiveness of the present compounds. Air presence substantially increases the rate of combustion to higher rates resulting to flames. Fires that are associated with smouldering require extremely special conditions for the fire to develop. For instance, material, which can facilitate smouldering, include piled sawdust, latex foam, baled cotton, grass, and clothing among others. Smouldering from cigarettes needs materials that are not only volatile but at the same time aligned so that there is a firm contact of the cigarette and the material (ABC Science 2008, n.pag). Conclusion In summary, cigarettes have always been wrongly associated with causes of fires. Research has disputed this cause as it has been proven that fire caused by burning cigarette butts does so only under special conditions. The surest ways of determining the causes of fires is to employ a forensic methodology, which has universally proven that fires are fuel, weather, and topography. The investigative process of the causes of a fire is rigorous and entails efforts by different agencies to determine the origin and cause of the fire. Reference List ABC Science 2008, How do you identify what started a bushfire? Available at: [Accessed 25 Feb. 2013]. Faith, N 2000, Blaze: The forensics of fire. Macmillan publishers. Forensic Science Central, 2011. Fire Investigation. Available at: [Accessed 25 Feb. 2013]. Karlsson, B & James, Q 2002, Enclosure fire dynamics. CRC press. Lentini, J 2006, Scientific protocols for fire investigation. CRC press. Tawadrous, M 2000, Fire Investigation: Cigarettes: How often do they cause fires? Available at: < http://www.tcforensic.com.au/docs/uts/essay5.pdf>[Accessed 25 Feb. 2013]. Read More

Sourcing the Cause: There are different causes of fire like equipment failures, campfires, flaming cigarettes, lightning, power line faults, and arson among others. Investigators can document several causes by going through the indicators at the scene of fire. In lightning fires, there are usually charred timber and shards of branches from trees. The existence of lightning damaged wood is likely to be associated with the start and ignition of fire. In a similar manner, clashing or fallen power lines at a scene of fire is inadequate evidence to lead to the source of ignition of a fire.

The confirmation of the damages to a power line and the associated infrastructure is not connected with the fire burning in that given region. Locating other evidence items like molten metal or metal fragments from a line lying down within the site where the fire commenced can assist in building a substantivecase (Forensic Science Central 2011, n.pg). Whereas thrown-away cigarette butts are normally associated with fire causes, research has established that cigarettes only start fires under narrow circumstances.

Whereas they cannot be wholly ruled out, the fires are not common (Karlsson & James 2002, p.18). Cigarette butts usually endure fires. Basing on this research, the capability for the remnant causing a fire, suggests that it has to come into contact with fuel, and it should land at a specific angle. For example, a cigarette that lands on a common carpet would mostly yield a small burn that would not grow beyond the adjacent locality of the pale tip. In a similar manner, a cigarette that lands on a paper sheet would unlikely produce nothing more than a minor and localized charring.

In waste disposal bins where there is considerable quantity of crumpled and torn papers, it is hard to yield anything more than a slight smouldering fire that may last for very few minutes. However, absorbent tissue can smoulder for a substantial time. Equally, the parameters of weather have to be very precise. For example, on an extremely cold day, it is highly improbable that a discarded cigarette will begin a grass fire. Most fires by the wayside are incorrectly associated with discarded cigarette butts, when quite often they are started by carbon exhaust elements from diesel engines or failures of catalytic converters of vehicles (ABC Science 2008, n.pag). Cigarettes are regularly impugned as the origin of fire even in situations when the settings are clearly unavailable.

Petrol vapour cannot customarily be burst into flames by a glowing cigarette. This fact has been proved by much experimentation. There have been numerous tests carried out in different conditions to determine this fact. In common with natural gas and other flammable liquids, petrol cannot be ignited in such a manner. A likely justification is that the relatively low charge of the flammability level for petrol suggests a high requirement for oxygen in order to ignite petrol vapour. Near a glowing cigarette tip, there may be inadequate oxygen to ignite the petrol Where there are deliberately lit fires, the remnants of the first ignition source have to be identified.

This evidence is later analysedby forensic scientists in detail to assist in identifying where the fire originated. For instance, there have been cases of investigators tracking down the matches used in cases of arsonback to their origin (Faith 2000, pg 16). Fire Investigation Processes and Evidence and Roles of Personnel Associated With Fire Investigations Fire investigation entails the analysis of fire-related events after fire fighters have contained a fire. The investigation includes a close survey of damaged scenes to inaugurate the source of the fire and finally in establishing its reasons (Lentini 2006, pg. 6). Safety: The first concern in any fire incident location is safety.

The type of location has an amplified safety factor with probable risks like structural collapse, gas mains, heated materials, or, dangerous combustible products.

Read More