The ignitable liquid residues tested in this study were charcoal lighter fluid, gasoline, and the heavy petroleum distillate diesel fuel. The use of solid phase microextraction (SPME) for the analysis of ignitable liquid residues has been demonstrated, and this study shows that this technique is effective in extracting these liquid residues at extremely low quantities. Microliter quantities of controlled spikes of gasoline, diesel fuel, and charcoal lighter fluid were deposited on the hands of a volunteer and extracted after several time intervals. The SPME technique can recover very small amounts of liquid deposits on skin up to 3.5 hours after exposure, depending on the class of the ignitable liquid residue used. This technique allows for the rapid analysis (within 15 minutes) of ignitable liquid residues that are exposed and adsorbed on human skin and would enable the fire investigation team to positively identify a flammable or combustible liquid residue quickly. The portable SPME unit can be used at the scene of the fire, along with a portable gas chromatograph, or it can be used to collect the sample for subsequent analysis in a laboratory. This method can be used in conjunction with an accelerant-detection canine team at a crime scene by first identifying a possible suspect at the crime scene. 14 figures and 14 references