It’s been about 13 years since I posted to the forum, but I don’t want to bother the man yet.
The wise one has an article on investigating fires in homes; but I can’t find anything on investigating forest fires.
When 1000 acres burn I can see how you can get the general area it started based on wind or even satellite photos. So, say you can narrow it down to a square mile. How do they narrow it down from there? How is determined it was someone that left a camp fire, threw a cig out the window, or (and I swear I remember this story) the sparks from a car starter?
Thanks from the humble Diego
The process is similar to investigating building fires.
In a wildland fire not everything within the perimeter burns. Wind, topography, land forms, streams and lakes, vegetation types, moisture levels, etc., all contribute to the spread of the fire. Add in social engineering concepts (was the possible point of origin near a road, trail, campsite, railroad tracks, etc.) narrow down the fire origin even further. I was involved in subsequent investigations of the Thirty Mile Fire in which four fire fighters died. The case has never been solved. (Official report - PDF warning.)
Thanks. It still amazes me that something so large and so hot can be pinpointed, but your examples do help me understand some of the factors that help.
As with any job, experience and training bring you a wealth of knowledge that you use to draw conclusions from the evidence.
Long ago, the apartment building next to mine burned down. I was asked by the owner to stay until morning and guard the site. As a cop/investigator, I thought I would pass the time by determining the cause of the fire. I never did. Daylight brought the arson investigator, who walked up to the building, looked around, and pointed to a spot on the outside and said “There’s your cause.” 10 seconds & he knew.
They’re not all that easy, but his experience led his eyes to the lowest point of the burn. Fire burns up, not down. There was an electrical junction just behind the wall about 2 feet off the ground that had shorted out, and burned up from there.
It will be the same with a wildfire. Tracing back to a suspect area, then determining who or what was there, and looking for clues. Campfire sites, scrapes on the roadway indicating a bare rim or bumper throwing sparks. People smarter than I do this for a living. Perhaps one will drop by soon…