ABSTRACT

To understand arson and explosions, it is very helpful to know a bit of the basic chemistry and physics of fire. Arson fires are a criminal activity that is very difficult to effectively police. It is not easy to prove that someone committed arson. Solvent wash is the last of the common technique for recovering possible accelerant material form arson evidence. In processing the scene of a suspicious fire, identification of a possible accelerant is very important in making the determination of whether a particular suspicious fire was the result of arson. One thinks of explosives-related crimes as acts of terrorism or major destructive events that make the nightly news on television. There are many additional incidents involving explosives or explosions that are more localized, such as a pipe bomb placed under a car, injury of an individual transporting an explosive device or extortion attempts using a crudely constructed explosive device.