Arson investigations are conducted to determine the cause of a fire to ensure the responsible party is held accountable. Arson investigators who are forensic investigators who will often testify in court as an expert witness regarding their techniques that they utilized in gathering evidence for or against the suspect. These specialized investigators are often retired fire fighters or trained professionals with in-depth knowledge of types of fuel, how each fuel ignites and accelerates, and the impact each fuel has on the development of a fire.
Most professional firefighters admit that arson is difficult to prove and difficult to prosecute in court. After all, the very nature of fire ensures that much evidence is completely incinerated. Arson accounts for billions of dollars in lost and damaged property annually, but only about 17% of arson-related blazes result in arrests. If you’re affected by a fire, you’ll want a thorough investigation conducted.
There may be obvious signs of arson such as multiple points of origin or the presence of accelerants. Whatever it is that raises the suspicions of the fire fighters at the scene it is their observations we will use. At this point the investigation deviates from the procedures used in a normal criminal investigation. In a normal criminal investigation interviewing witness is usually done after the physical evidence is processed.
Fire will often destroy evidence of arson. As well, the water and chemical foam used by the fire fighters may destroy evidence. The first fire fighters on the scene may have noticed evidence that may not exist by the time the fire is extinguished. It is essential for the investigator to interview the fire fighters who were the first to arrive at the fire and those who fought the fire.
Here at Olympic Tactical & Investigations our fire investigator has your interests in mind. If you need a third party investigator to assist call us today.