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ASSIGNMENT FOR FSIC 314- ARSON AND EXPLOSION INVESTIGATION
1. ROLE OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ARSON PROBLEM IN OUR COUNTRY.
Arson is the crime of willfully setting fire to an object or property, with malicious intent in mind.
Arson leads to loss of property and life, and is a threat to public safety. Arsonists set fire for a myriad
set of reasons, which vary from vandalism to revenge, for monetary gain or insurance fraud or due
to some sort of a mental disorder. Whether to cover up a scene of crime, like murder or robbery, or
for some sort of a personal gain over the victim, there are multiple ways to attain these unethical
goals. Arson is also often used to further political agendas and communal causes, as is often the
scenario in our country, in the form of riots and protests, as evident from the Haryana Jat riots and
the Gujarat Godhra riots. Another major reason behind arson cases is that of dowry, in which the in-
laws would often set the bride on fire due to higher monetary expectations from her family during
the wedding ceremonies. The other cause behind majority of the cases is often insurance fraud,
wherein the person tries to dupe the insurance company to claim the compensation by setting his
own property or belonging on fire, proving malicious intent for monetary gain.

Arson cases in India are punishable under Section 435 and Section 436 of the Indian Penal Code,
stating a maximum punishment of imprisonment for life in arson cases. The Prevention of Damage
to Public Property Act (1984), also states a punishment of imprisonment of upto 10 years, under
Section 4 of the Act, in cases of Arson destroying Public Property.

According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2014, crimes pertaining to riots and
arson were 22.5% of the total amount of violent crimes committed in the country. However, the
incidents of rioting increased by 10.1% from the 2004 level, but however decreased by 8.4% over the
previous year. Moreover, dowry deaths during 2014 have showing a growth of 20.3% since 2004, but
a decrease of 4.6% from the last year. In general, however, arson cases showed an increase of 7.5%
over these 10 years and a decline of 0.3% since 2013.

The root cause of these problems in India, can be said to be deep seated in the human mentality. I
feel, that the main reason behind the increased cases of arson during protests, is that the
government is unable to pin-point the case at anyone perpetrator, and the culprit himself does not
come up to take responsibility, despite claiming to be emotionally hurt which causes him to
support some communal/political agenda, leading him to do so. I suggest, that in such a scenario,
the group/society organizing such a protest, which leads to an arson crime being committed, should
be held responsible for the crime. The dowry cases, on the other hand, are solely based upon the
human need for more, the greed, the never-ending hunger for more money, and also the need for
higher socioeconomic standing, which eventually leads to loss of valuable lives. Even though the
perpetrators are often held responsible for the crimes committed by them, the loss of life is
something that no amount of time spent in jail can repay for. The cases of insurance fraud, too are
based on the human need and greed for more than what one already has. Moreover, the cases due
to some sort of personal rivalry/revenge/agenda, the majority of these cases go unreported, due to
lack of education and awareness, especially in the rural areas. The few that are reported, are not
investigated properly, due to negligence on the part of the authorities. In either case, the arsonist is
not jailed, heshe walks freely and is free to commit the same crime again. Hence, the human
mentality, can be said to play a major role in the arson problem in our country.
2. DESCRIBE THE GROWTH OF FIRE WITH AN EXAMPLE.
Here, to understand the growth of fire, let us consider the example of a fire in a room. The size,
contents of the building, the ventilation and the fire protection system- all have a significant impact
on the growth of a fire within the room. It can be said to comprise of four stages: the incipient stage,
the growth stage, the fully developed stage and the decay stage. Flashover is not a stage. It is the
transition between the growth stage and the fully developed stage.

INCIPIENT STAGE

Once combustion begins, the fire in this stage mainly depends on the configuration and the
characteristics of the fuel i.e. it is a FUEL CONTROLLED FIRE. This is mainly because, at this stage, the
air in the building provides ample oxygen to support the combustion process and the development
of the fire. The hot gases arising from the flame, rise upwards and mix with the cooler air present
there, thereby increasing the overall temperature. As the hot air reaches the ceiling, it begins to
spread horizontally. In this stage, the smoke is limited. However, a well-defined layer of hot gases is
found towards the ceiling of the room. Also, the fire is mainly confined to the area of origin and the
flames are lower in height than the ceiling of the room.

GROWTH STAGE

If adequate oxygen supply is present, additional fuel load will become involved. Moreover, the heat
released from the fire will also increase. At this stage, the air and gases within can said to exist in
two layers, the upper hot layer towards the ceiling and the lower cooler air towards the floor of the
room. The heat from the fire along with this layer of hot gases, increases the temperature of the
room, and starts heating the objects within. Due to the higher pressure of the hot layer, it begins to
push out through the openings. The cold layer, on the other hand, with its lower pressure, allows
inward movement of air from outside through these openings. Hence, there is a bi-directional
movement of gases and air.
As the flames reach the ceiling, they start extending horizontally. The ignition of the flammable
byproducts of incomplete combustion present in the hot layer, will continue the horizontal spread of
the fire. A prominent layer of hot smoke, is likely to exist towards the ceiling of the room.

FLASHOVER

During flashover, there is said to be a rapid transition to a state where the total surface of all
combustible materials within the room become involved in the fire. The hot gases start pushing out
through the openings, at a significant velocity. The ventilation, the thermal properties and the fire
load, play a significant role in influencing how quickly a fire reaches flashover. Darkening smoke can
also be an indicator of flashover, but it is not dependent on the color of the smoke alone. Lowering
of the hot gas layer, is also a prominent indication of flashover. The flames at this stage too, will be
found to spread horizontally across the ceiling. However, flashover does not always occur. There
must be substantial oxygen supply and fuel present for the fire to reach flashover.

FULLY DEVELOPED STAGE

At this stage, the energy release is the greatest, especially the amount of heat energy produced. The
extending of the layer of hot gases along with the flames, results in fire spread. The smoke will
become a black, brown or a dark grey color. However, the smoke color is largely dependent on what
is being burned. The smoke will anyhow, show an increase in its volume and optical density. If the
room is not well ventilated, the hot layer will drop to the level of the floor, as there will be no air
rushing into the cold layer. Also, the fire and the flame will involve the entire room, and not just the
upper part towards the ceiling.

DECAY STAGE

The fire may reach the decay stage,

due to either consumption of all
the available fuel or the limited
supply of oxygen. Smokes optical
density and volume increases. The
color of the smoke will depend on
what is burning. Black smoke or
light color smoke will become a
dense grayish yellow color. Yellow
colored smoke is an excellent
indication of this stage. However,
the color of the smoke alone
cannot be an indicator, as the smoke can also be brown, black or grey in color. An optically dense
smoke is a better indicator. Temperature in this stage, is quite high initially, but will soon drop if the
decay is due to ventilation conditions.

VENTILATION CONTROLLED FIRE

 When a fire is being completely controlled by the
ventilation, any increase in the oxygen supply, will increase
the heat release rate of the fire. Most fires that reach the
growth phase, are ventilation controlled fires. A bi-
directional movement of air at the openings is the most
significant indicator of a fuel controlled fire. Hence, the
development of fire can be said to be controlled by the
availability of atmospheric oxygen and the ventilation
system of the room.

In a situation where, there is not adequate oxygen supply to

support the combustion process, the fire will not reach
flashover, and will directly progress towards the decay
stage. However, after this, if the air supply is increased, it
will result in immense heat release and thereby may result
into a flashover or a backdraft depending upon the
conditions involved. While similar, they are two drastically
different phenomena. The difference basically lies in the
properties of the vapour and fuel gas present in the smoke
i.e. the combustion products, specifically their ignition
temperature. In the case, wherein the combustion products
are below its ignition temperature, increased ventilation will
result into a FLASHOVER. However, if the combustion
products are above its ignition temperature, in that case, it will result into a more violent
BACKDRAFT, and the rate of combustion is much higher(deflagration).

3. LIST THE ACTIONS THAT CAUSE SEASONAL FIRES AND EXPLAIN HOW THESE
FIRES CAN BE PREVENTED.
Seasons are not specific and cannot be easily defined, as climatic conditions associated with each
season is not exactly well bounded, with seasons blending into one another and differing as per the
region or the country in question. However, broadly, seasons can be broadly defined as :

Winter (January-March)
Spring (April-June)
Summer (July-September)
Fall (October-December)

Winters

In winters, even though overall fires decrease, an increase in structural fires is seen. These fires can
be mainly caused by heating fires, camp fires or the by-products of fires started for warmth. Also,
high usage of heating equipment during these cold months can lead to fires being ignited by their
over usage.
Spring

This season usually records an increase in outside fires, particularly forest fires. This can be because
the leaves all shed during this season or are in the budding stage, and the sunlight has direct access
to warm the fallen leaves or the ground, which acts as a perfect fuel in such a situation. Also, the
lower relative humidity and the high wind speed plays a vital role in this scenario. The overall
scenario, provides the perfect conditions for ignition of dry bushes and grass.

Summer

Summer is the hottest season of the year. Fire is usually caused by natural phenomenon during this
season. The fires caused by lightning show a drastic increase during this season. The dry and hot
conditions, along with the summer lightning provide aid to spreading of wildfires. Cooking fires also
show an increase in occurrence, most probably due to the the usage of grills and barbeques during
the season. Cooking becoming the leading cause of structural fires during the season.

Fall

Fall shows the least fires caused by natural causes. The weather is mild, heating is not yet neede.
However, this season does harbor a lot of festivals during these months. Hence, fires due to
decorations and fireworks during Diwali, Christmas, New Year, etc are seen to be a major cause for
fire ignition during this season. There is a prominent increase in grass and bush fires set off by
fireworks.

PREVENTION OF SEASONAL FIRES

Always turn heating devices off before leaving the house.

Do not leave the heating device on for too long, to prevent over heating of the device.
Keep these heating devices at least 3 feet away from flammable material like bedding,
curtains, etc.
Never leave candles or fire places unattended, if still burning. Put them off before leaving
the house/room.
Keep candles away from combustible materials.
Never leave cooking unattended.
Smoke outdoors. If smoking indoors, use a wide deep ashtray.
Always use grills outdoors. Never use them in enclosed areas.
Situate the grill away from combustible materials like low hanging branches, etc.
To prevent burn, use utensils with long handles while cooking/grilling.
Keep children and pets away from grill and burning flames.
Keep grill clean to prevent fat/grease build up which helps in ignition of fire.
Choose decorations made of non-combustible, fire retardant or fire resistant materials.
Carefully inspect all light strings before putting them up for inspection and replace the
damaged ones.
Do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.
Do not use decorations (with electrical supply) in such a way as to destroy their cords.
Place Christmas tree away from heat sources.
 Turn off decorative lights when leaving the house/room.
Keep chimneys clean.
Install smoke alarms.

4. HOW DOES FIRE RESPOND TO THE ENVIRONMENT?

The environmental factors which see a response from fire in the form of the growth/spread of the
fire are:

Fuels
Oxygen Availability
Weather
Topography

FUELS

The type of the fuel and the size and surface area of the fuel utilized play a vital role in affecting the
heat produced by the fuel which directly relates to the intensity of the fire. The amount of fuel
utilized is also an extremely important factor. In such scenarios, the moisture fuel is also important.
The higher is the moisture content of the fuel, less likely is the chance for it to ignite and produce
heat. Hence, the fuel should be fry enough for it to burn.

Type: Fuels can be classified based on the temperature required for the fuel to catch fire.
The amount of heat required and the amount of heat produced by the fuel both vary from
fuel to fuel.
Size: How quickly a fuel catches fire is directly proportional to the size of a fuel. For instance,
a large piece of wood will take more time than a twig to reach its ignition temperature.
Whereas, a twig, on the other hand, will catch fire almost instantaneously.
Surface Area: A fuel with a larger surface area will have higher number of oxygen molecules
colliding with it per second, compared to a fuel with a smaller surface area. And, hence, the
combustion reaction will be faster in the former case. The surface area of a fuel can be
increased by making smaller pieces of the same.
Heat Production: The energy released during combustion and the time taken for it to burn
depends on the material the fuel is made of, each material reacts with oxygen in its own
distinctive manner- some might produce high amounts of energy while the other might
produce a smaller amount of heat energy, one might burn slowly while the other might burn
quickly.
Amount of Fuel: The amount of fuel available can be termed as the Fuel Load. The fuel
load is directly proportional to the intensity of fire in terms of the heat energy output.
Moisture Content: The higher is the moisture content of the fuel, less likely is the chance for
it to ignite and produce heat. Hence, the fuel should be fry enough for it to burn.

OXYGEN AVAILABILITY

The availability of oxygen directly determines the rate of burning, that is, low concentration of
oxygen, slows down the burning process. For instance, in an enclosed fire, when all of the oxygen is
consumed, the fire starts smoldering (BACKDRAUGHT phrase). However, if in such a scenario, there
is a sudden influx of oxygen, the fire shall immediately explode into flames.

WEATHER

The most important components affecting fires are the wind, the temperature and the relative
humidity. The stronger will be the wind, the faster will be the spread of the fire. Increased
temperatures will help in pre-heating of the fuels, which aid in faster combustion of the fuel
compared to a cold one. If the relative humidity in the environment is high, it will make the fuel
moist, thereby making ignition difficult.

Wind: This plays a vital role in the fire spread. The stronger will be the wind, the faster will
be the spread of the fire. Wind also controls the oxygen supply to the fuel, thereby
controlling the combustion process as a whole. The wind can also dry the fuel, in certain
cases.
Temperature: Increased temperatures will help in pre-heating of the fuels, which aid in
faster combustion of the fuel compared to a cold one, as it will require less heating to reach
the ignition temperature.
Relative Humidity: If the relative humidity in the environment is high, it will make the fuel
moist, thereby making ignition difficult. Similarly, if the relative humidity is low, it will
contribute to drying of the fuel, making combustion easier.

TOPOGRAPHY

The topography of the land plays an important role in the direction and rate of spreading of fire. The
aspects of topography playing a role her can be classified into two main categories: the slope and the
terrain. Fires usually move slower downhill and faster uphill. Also, the steeper the land, the faster
will the fire spread. The terrain of the land affects the flow of air, which affects the fire directly.

Slope: Slope can be defined as the steepness of the land. Fires usually move slower downhill
and faster uphill. Also, the steeper the land, the faster will the fire spread. This can be
because of the wind current, which is usually uphill or because chunks of the fuel or other
inflamed materials might roll downhill, facilitating the spread of the fire.
Terrain: In a relatively large area, the wind flow is often controlled by the terrain of the land,
as like a river, the wind also looks for a path with minimum resistance to its flow. The wind
flow, thereby, playing a role in the controlling of the fire.

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