Forensic Fire Investigation Basics

What is the major product of combustion for most fuels involved in fire investigation?

What is the nature of the chemical products of combustion dependent on?

Which type of combustion occurs when some of the liquid fuel is vaporized to gas before it burns?

What are most liquid fuels, like gasoline, kerosene, and fuel oil, composed of?

What is the primary factor required to initiate and sustain a fire according to the fire pentagon model?

What is the process undergone by solid fuels like wood, resulting in volatile gaseous products?

Which type of combustion occurs for solids that cannot produce enough flammable gas for flaming combustion?

What is the effective extinguishing agent that absorbs heat from the fire, requiring more heat to raise its temperature due to its high specific heat?

What interferes with free radical chain reactions to extinguish fires?

What are the four major classes into which fuels are classified?

What is the lowest temperature at which enough volatilization occurs to produce an ignitable vapor for liquid fuels?

What do arson investigations involve?

What does water-based foam serve as in fire extinguishing?

What does the nature of the chemical products of combustion depend on?

Which type of fire involves limited access to air for pyrolyzable fuels like cloth, wood, and paper?

What is an example of an effective extinguishing agent used based on the type of fire?

What is the most common accelerant in arson cases?

Which method is most commonly used for the recovery of accelerants from arson debris?

How is gasoline identification achieved through Gas Chromatography (GC) analysis?

What are low explosives?

What are primary high explosives?

What did the Texas Forensic Science Commission commission a study for?

What are explosive trains composed of?

What are explosions defined as?

What are current issues in fire investigation focused on?

What is the main cause of destruction in explosions?

What is the most unstable chemical compound leading to an explosion?

Which method is commonly used for the recovery of accelerants from arson debris?

What is the most common accelerant in arson cases?

What does gasoline identification through GC analysis rely on?

What defines explosions?

What are low explosives?

"Primary high explosives" are characterized by being:

What does the explosive train consist of?

What are current issues in fire investigation related to?

What has been commissioned by the Texas Forensic Science Commission related to the Willingham case?

What have several experts done regarding the original evidence used to convict Cameron Todd Willingham?

Flaming combustion occurs when all liquid fuels are vaporized to gas before burning.

The chemical products of combustion depend solely on the makeup of the fuel, and not the conditions of combustion.

The oxidation of a fuel and an oxidant combining to release energy in the form of heat and light is an endothermic reaction.

Water and carbon dioxide are the major products of combustion for most fuels involved in fire investigation.

Gas Chromatography is not commonly used for the recovery of accelerants from arson debris

Explosions are always accompanied by a shock wave, intense heat, and loud noise

Low explosives have a detonation velocity of less than 1000 meters/second

The explosive train consists of an igniter, primer or detonator, main charge, and explosion

Explosives are generally stable chemical compounds that do not decompose rapidly

Gasoline is the most common accelerant in arson cases

Current issues in fire investigation do not include the controversial Cameron Todd Willingham case

The Texas Forensic Science Commission did not commission a study to investigate the evidence in the Willingham case

Gasoline identification through GC analysis relies on peak patterns and their relative sizes

Structural fire patterns are not influenced by the pyrolyzable nature of the fuel sources

Accelerant recovery methods do not include vapor concentration, sample preparation via head-space, solvent extraction, and solid phase microextraction

Explosives can only be concentrated and cannot be diffuse like fuel air mixtures

Combustion involves the feedback of resulting heat to the liquid, producing more gaseous fuel for combustion.

Solid fuels like wood undergo thermal decomposition, also known as destructive distillation or pyrolysis, resulting in volatile gaseous products.

Glowing combustion, a gas-solid surface reaction, occurs for solids that cannot produce enough flammable gas for flaming combustion.

Glowing combustion, or smoldering, occurs when pyrolyzable fuels like cloth, wood, and paper have limited access to air.

The fire pentagon model symbolizes the five primary factors required to initiate and sustain a fire: heat, fuel, oxygen, free radical chain reactions, and ignition.

Water is an effective extinguishing agent as it absorbs heat from the fire, requiring more heat to raise its temperature due to its high specific heat.

Halogenated hydrocarbons interfere with free radical chain reactions to extinguish fires.

Fuels are classified into four major classes: gases, liquids, pyrolyzable solids, and nonpyrolyzable solids, with different ignition and self-ignition temperatures.

Different extinguishing agents, such as water, water-based foams, dry powder chemicals, CO2, and halons, are used based on the type of fire.

The flashpoint is the lowest temperature at which enough volatilization occurs to produce an ignitable vapor for liquid fuels.

Fire patterns depend on the fuel source, with most fires conforming to the shape of available fuel sources.

Arson investigations involve determining the point of origin, examining equipment failure possibilities, analyzing burning patterns, collecting physical evidence, and reconstructing the scene.

Flaming combustion occurs when all liquid fuels are vaporized to gas before burning.

Water is the most common accelerant in arson cases.

Gasoline identification through GC analysis relies on peak patterns and their relative sizes.

Low explosives have a detonation velocity of less than 1000 meters/second.

Gasoline is the only accelerant commonly used in arson cases

Gas Chromatography is rarely used for the recovery of accelerants from arson debris

Explosions are always accompanied by a shock wave, intense heat, and loud noise

Low explosives have a detonation velocity of more than 1000 meters/second

The explosive train consists of an igniter, primer or detonator, main charge, and explosion

The Texas Forensic Science Commission did not commission a study to investigate the evidence in the Willingham case

Primary high explosives are extremely stable and not sensitive to heat, shock, or friction

Gasoline identification through GC analysis relies on peak patterns and their relative sizes

Solid phase microextraction is not a method for accelerant recovery from arson debris

Explosives can be diffuse (fuel air mixtures) or concentrated, with the latter causing the greatest damage near the source

Gasoline is the most common accelerant in arson cases, followed by kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, paint thinner, and lacquer solvent

Current issues in fire investigation include the controversial Cameron Todd Willingham case, where traditional indicators of arson have been questioned by scientific experimentation

Combustion involves the feedback of resulting heat to the liquid, producing more gaseous fuel for combustion.

Solid fuels like wood undergo thermal decomposition, also known as destructive distillation or pyrolysis, resulting in volatile gaseous products.

Glowing combustion, a gas-solid surface reaction, occurs for solids that cannot produce enough flammable gas for flaming combustion.

Glowing combustion, or smoldering, occurs when pyrolyzable fuels like cloth, wood, and paper have limited access to air.

The fire pentagon model symbolizes the five primary factors required to initiate and sustain a fire: heat, fuel, oxygen, free radical chain reactions, and ignition.

Water is an effective extinguishing agent as it absorbs heat from the fire, requiring more heat to raise its temperature due to its high specific heat.

Halogenated hydrocarbons interfere with free radical chain reactions to extinguish fires.

Fuels are classified into four major classes: gases, liquids, pyrolyzable solids, and nonpyrolyzable solids, with different ignition and self-ignition temperatures.

Different extinguishing agents, such as water, water-based foams, dry powder chemicals, CO2, and halons, are used based on the type of fire.

The flashpoint is the lowest temperature at which enough volatilization occurs to produce an ignitable vapor for liquid fuels.

Fire patterns depend on the fuel source, with most fires conforming to the shape of available fuel sources.

Arson investigations involve determining the point of origin, examining equipment failure possibilities, analyzing burning patterns, collecting physical evidence, and reconstructing the scene.

Match the following with their primary role in scientific fire investigations:

Match the following with their products of combustion:

Match the following with their type of combustion:

Match the following with their usage in fire investigation:

Match the following combustion processes with their descriptions:

Match the following fire extinguishing agents with their descriptions:

Match the following fuel classifications with their characteristics:

Match the following methods with their role in accelerant recovery from arson debris:

Match the following characteristics with their description of explosive types:

Match the following components of the explosive train with their role:

Match the following statements about fire patterns with their descriptions:

Match the following characteristics with their description of explosions:

Match the following descriptions with their associated current issue in fire investigation:

Flaming combustion occurs when some of the ______ is vaporized to gas before it burns

The nature of the chemical products of combustion depend on the makeup of the ______ and the conditions of combustion

Most liquid fuels, like gasoline, kerosene, and fuel oil, are mixtures of many different ______

Combustion involves the oxidation of a fuel; the fuel and the substance causing the oxidation (the oxidant) combine to release energy in the form of ______ and light

______ is the most commonly used method for the recovery of accelerants from arson debris.

______ is the most common accelerant in arson cases, followed by kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, paint thinner, and lacquer solvent.

Explosives are generally ______ chemical compounds that can decompose rapidly due to heat, shock, or striking, leading to an explosion.

Low explosives are propellants with a detonation velocity of ______ meters/second, while primary high explosives are extremely sensitive to heat, shock, or friction.

Current issues in fire investigation include the controversial ______ case, where traditional indicators of arson have been questioned by scientific experimentation.

The explosive train consists of an igniter, primer or detonator, main charge, and explosion, with the release of high pressure and heat causing destruction.

Explosions are defined as ______ outbursts accompanied by a shock wave, intense heat, and loud noise.

Accelerant recovery methods include vapor concentration, sample preparation via head-space, solvent extraction, and solid phase microextraction.

Gasoline identification through GC analysis relies on peak patterns and their relative sizes.

The Texas Forensic Science Commission commissioned a study to investigate the evidence in the ______ case, and several experts have denounced the original evidence used to convict him.

Explosives can be diffuse (fuel air mixtures) or concentrated, with the latter causing the greatest damage near the source.

Structural fire patterns are influenced by the ______ nature of the fuel sources, leading to an inverted cone or V pattern of combustion.

______ involves the feedback of resulting heat to the liquid, producing more gaseous fuel for combustion.

Solid fuels like wood undergo thermal decomposition, also known as destructive distillation or pyrolysis, resulting in volatile gaseous ______.

The fire pentagon model symbolizes the five primary factors required to initiate and sustain a fire: heat, fuel, oxygen, free radical chain reactions, and ______.

Water is an effective extinguishing agent as it absorbs heat from the fire, requiring more heat to raise its temperature due to its high specific ______.

Fuels are classified into four major classes: gases, liquids, pyrolyzable solids, and nonpyrolyzable solids, with different ignition and self-ignition ______.

The flashpoint is the lowest temperature at which enough volatilization occurs to produce an ignitable vapor for liquid ______.

Fire patterns depend on the fuel source, with most fires conforming to the shape of available fuel ______.

Arson investigations involve determining the point of origin, examining equipment failure possibilities, analyzing burning patterns, collecting physical evidence, and reconstructing the ______.

Glowing combustion, a gas-solid surface reaction, occurs for solids that cannot produce enough flammable gas for flaming ______.

Halogenated hydrocarbons interfere with free radical chain reactions to extinguish ______.

The ______ is the lowest temperature at which enough volatilization occurs to produce an ignitable vapor for liquid fuels.

Different extinguishing agents, such as water, water-based foams, dry powder chemicals, CO2, and halons, are used based on the type of ______.