FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS, OR ACCELERANTS, WHEN ANALYZED IN A LABORATORY CAN PROVIDE A WEALTH OF INFORMATION REGARDING THEIR USE IN A SUSPICIOUS FIRE. SOME FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS EVAPORATE IN THE FEW HOURS, WHILE OTHERS REMAIN IN FIRE DEBRIS FOR YEARS. A TABLE LISTS THE RELATIVE LENGTH OF TIME THAT A GIVEN FLAMMABLE LIQUID CAN BE DETECTED ON FIRE DEBRIS AND SHOWS THAT FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS SUCH AS FUEL OIL AND PAINT THINNERS ARE MORE EASILY DISCOVERED AT FIRE SCENES THAN SOLVENTS SUCH AS ETHER OR ACETONE. LABORATORY ANALYSIS OF FIRE DEBRIS SAMPLES RELIES ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT TRACES OF THE ORIGINAL FLAMMABLE LIQUID REMAIN IN THE GIVEN PIECE OF FIRE DEBRIS. GUIDELINES ARE GIVEN TO HELP THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR SECURE A SAMPLE WITH THE GREATEST PROBABILITY OF CONTAINING FLAMMABLE LIQUID RESIDUES. THE VALUES OF VARIOUS SAMPLES - SOIL, WOOD, CARPET, WATER, GLASS - ARE DISCUSSED AND WOOD, CARPET, AND WATER ARE STATED TO PROVIDE EXCELLENT SAMPLES. ARSONISTS CAN ALSO USE FLAMMABLE SOLIDS TO START A FIRE AND THESE ARE DISCUSSED. THE MOST COMMON INVESTIGATIVE AIDS TO DETECT THESE TYPES OF DEBRIS ARE ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT; SNIFFERS; AND PORTABLE GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS. ALTHOUGH CRIME LABORATORIES ARE IMPROVING THEIR TECHNIQUES OF ANALYZING FIRE DEBRIS, THERE IS STILL A LACK OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN FORENSIC LABORATORIES, AND LABORATORY EQUIPMENT NEEDS MODERNIZING. HOWEVER, THE MODERN FORENSIC LABORATORY CAN USUALLY PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FOR THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR: DETERMINE IF FLAMMABLE LIQUID IS PRESENT, ITS TYPE AND FRESHNESS; LIFT AND PROCESS LATENT FINGERPRINTS FROM FIRE BOMBS; IDENTIFY SUSPICIOUS RESIDUES FOUND AT SCENE OF FIRE. (MJW)