Theme: Arson
TEXT 1
Arson
Arson has become one of the most expensive and serious crimes in the United States and Canada. Its incidence is growing at an ever increasing rate and it accounts for more than 1,5 million dollars a year in losses. It is estimated that there are 1,000 deaths and about 10,000 injuries attributed to arson every year.
Firemen have several key responsibilities at a fire scene. The primary responsibility is to put out fires, and prevent further damages. Another is to attempt to save lives of people trapped in burning buildings. Yet another is to determine how and why a fire started. The table shows the main causes of residential fires in the United States.
Causes
| Fire
| Death
| Injury
| Heating
| 19%
| 13%
| 13%
| Cooking
| 16%
| 6%
| 15%
| Arson
| 11 %
| 7%
| 8%
| Smoking
| 10%
| 22%
| 18%
| Electrical
| 8%
| 5%
| 6%
| Appliances
| 7%
| 3%
| 4%
| Children playing
| 6%
| 6%
| 8%
| Other
| 13%
| 7%
| 9%
| Unknown
| 10%
| 32%
| 19%
| Knowing the cause of fire, and through public education it becomes possible to prevent future fires of the same type. There are two approaches for fire cause determination:
1. Process of elimination, that is by elimination of all known causes of fire until only one or two possible causes remain. For example, if there was no heating, cooking or electricity present, then these causes are automatically eliminated from consideration.
2.The second approach to fire cause determination is the reverse of the first one. In this approach, the investigator will determine the point of origin and the cause of ignition.
But it is also necessary to investigate the fire, because an investigation can reveal that the fire was not an accident, but was an arson. A recent study shows that about one-third of all building fires are attributed to arsons. Arson is a complex crime and often presents difficulties during investigation. One of the difficulties is proof of the commission of the offence because of the extensive destruction of the arson scene. However, a complete investigation of a fire scene can always give important information.
Arson investigation, which is often long and tedious, generally includes the following:
1. Determination of the "point of origin".
"Point of origin" is widely used to identify the place where a given fire began. The cause of a fire can usually be found at or near the point of origin. Evidence of incendiarism can often be recovered near the point of origin. The examination is usually carried on from the exterior of the structure to the interior and from the less damage area to the most severely damaged area.
2. Examination of the burning patterns.
Fire burning patterns often provide information on the various factors which caused a fire. Detail study of the burning patterns generally helps in determining the point of origin, direction of travel, and degree of a fire which may contain clues to possible arson.
3. Determination of the cause of fire.
Once the point of origin has been determined, the cause of the fire can be found. The approach for fire cause determination, as a rule, consists in eliminating all known causes of fire until only one or two possible causes remain. For instance, if there was no heating, cooking, or electricity, these causes are automatically eliminated from consideration.
4. Types of physical evidence at fire scene.
Arson is like any other type of crime. There are many types of physical evidence that could be found at the scene. All the types of tangible evidence which related to the case should be documented, collected and submitted for analysis.
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