Fire Investigation and Ignitable Liquid Residue Analysis

2022 ◽  
pp. 91-118
Author(s):  
Sachil Kumar ◽  
Anu Singla ◽  
Ruddhida R. Vidwans
Keyword(s):  
Residue Analysis ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Fuel Load ◽  
General View ◽  
Fire Investigation ◽  
Basic Task ◽  
Fire Debris ◽  
Liquid Residue ◽  
Ignitable Liquid ◽  
Fire Scene

A fire investigation is a difficult and challenging task. An investigator's basic task at a fire scene is two-fold: first, to ascertain the origin of the fire and, second, to closely investigate the site of origin and try to determine what triggered a fire to start at or near that spot. Usually, an investigation would begin by attempting to obtain a general view of the site and the fire damage; this may be achieved at ground level or from an elevated location. Following this, one may examine the materials available, the fuel load, and the condition of the debris at different locations. Surprisingly, the science of fire investigation is not stagnant, and each year, more information to assist investigators in determining the location and cause of a fire by diligent observation of the scene and laboratory study of fire debris is released. This chapter is split into two sections. The first section discusses the general procedures to be used during a fire investigation, and the second section discusses laboratory analysis of ignitable liquid residue analysis.

scholarly journals Unconfirmed accelerants

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marika Linnéa Henneberg ◽  
Neil Richard Morling
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fire Investigation ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Liquid Residue ◽  
Ignitable Liquid ◽  
Fire Scene ◽  
Scientific Standards

Fire investigation is arguably one of the most difficult areas of investigation. The fire scene and available evidence has often been burnt, melted, smoke-stained, water-damaged and trampled on, but the fire investigator still has to make important distinctions between whether a fire was accidental or deliberate (arson). Modern fire investigations often rely on portable electronic detectors to identify ignitable liquid residue (ILR), or accelerant detection canines (ADCs), trained on a number of target substances. An analysis of cases from England and Wales, the United States of America (USA) and Canada demonstrates that sophisticated admissibility frameworks have not been effective in rejecting opinion testimony given by investigators and dog handlers that unconfirmed dog alerts where laboratory tests were negative provided proof of arson. This is problematic and controversial, and the authors conclude that such testimony is not compatible with modern forensic or scientific standards and should not be admitted into courts.

scholarly journals Effect of Different Matrices on the Identification of Ignitable Liquid Residue in Post Burn Arson Debris: A Multi-Derivative UV-Visible Spectrophotometric Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 2880-2886
Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar Yadav ◽  
Abhimanyu Harshey ◽  
Tanurup Das ◽  
Kriti Nigam ◽  
Kapil Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Uv Spectra ◽  
Absorption Capacity ◽  
Spectrophotometric Methods ◽  
Liquid Absorption ◽  
Fire Debris ◽  
Liquid Residue ◽  
Uv Visible ◽  
Ignitable Liquid ◽  
Simulated Fire

Analysis of arson debris is the foremost challenging task to the forensic investigators. Identification of the ignitable liquid residues in the fire debris is one of the prime objectives of forensic quest. This study evaluates the potential of derivative ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometric methods for the analysis and identification of ignitable liquid residues. In this work, arson was simulated using kerosene as an ignitable liquid on various matrices. Derivative UV spectra of kerosene were recorded in their neat state and compared with those obtained from simulated fire debris samples for the identification and detection of ignitable liquid residues. It was observed that different burnt substrates did not cause any interference. The obtained results indicated that the ignitable liquid absorption capacity of the substrate can play an important role in the extraction and identification of ignitable liquid from fire debris. The used technique proved to be rapid, easy, reproducible and efficient.

scholarly journals Developing a Method for the Collection and Analysis of Burnt Remains for the Detection and Identification of Ignitable Liquid Residues Using Body Bags, Dynamic Headspace Sampling, and TD-GC×GC-TOFMS

Separations ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Nizio ◽  
Shari Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Headspace Sampling ◽  
Dynamic Headspace ◽  
Flight Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Detection And Identification ◽  
Dynamic Headspace Sampling ◽  
Fire Debris ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Ignitable Liquid ◽  
And Storage

In cases of suspected arson, a body may be intentionally burnt to cause loss of life, dispose of remains, or conceal identification. A primary focus of a fire investigation, particularly involving human remains, is to establish the cause of the fire; this often includes the forensic analysis of fire debris for the detection of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs). Commercial containers for the collection of fire debris evidence include metal cans, glass jars, and polymer/nylon bags of limited size. This presents a complication in cases where the fire debris consists of an intact, or partially intact, human cadaver. This study proposed the use of a body bag as an alternative sampling container. A method was developed and tested for the collection and analysis of ILRs from burnt porcine remains contained within a body bag using dynamic headspace sampling (using an Easy-VOC™ hand-held manually operated grab-sampler and stainless steel sorbent tubes containing Tenax TA) followed by thermal desorption comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TD-GC×GC-TOFMS). The results demonstrated that a body bag containing remains burnt with gasoline tested positive for the presence of gasoline, while blank body bag controls and a body bag containing remains burnt without gasoline tested negative. The proposed method permits the collection of headspace samples from burnt remains before the remains are removed from the crime scene, limiting the potential for contamination and the loss of volatiles during transit and storage.

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