NCJ Number
148900
Journal
Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1994) Pages: 15-18
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Flashover, occurring at some but not all fire scenes, results in the autoignition of combustible materials in the room, and several arson cases in the United States have been defended based on the theory that burn patterns and damage indicative of a flammable liquid (accelerant) were in fact caused by flashover conditions.
Abstract
Not all fires develop to the point of flashover. If hot gases are allowed to escape or air is limited, conditions necessary for flashover will not be attained. During a fire, firefighters will intentionally ventilate the room or building to prevent the accumulation of hot gases. They will also introduce water as a fog to cool the gas layer but more importantly to create steam that will displace air in the room. Certain burn pattern characteristics help fire investigators differentiate between natural flashover and an accelerant-fueled fire. Recently, during preparations for an arson/murder trial in the southern United States, test burns produced evidence that flashover conditions could occur without an accelerant and in shorter time spans than originally believed. 4 references