FIRE TECHNOLOGY AND ARSON INVESTIGATION Introduction: The development of methods and tools for using and controlling

fire was critical in human evolution and is believed to have allowed early humans to spread northward from the warm climate of either origin into the more severe environment of Europe and Asia. The evidence of early fire use is often ambiguous because of the difficulty in determining whether the archeological evidence is the result of accidental fire or its deliberate use. Such evidence include finds of occupation sites with fired or baked soils, bones or stones that have been changed through the application of heat, and areas containing thick layers of ash and charcoal that might have hearth structures. The earliest finds, in Kenya and Ethiopia, date from about 1.5 million years ago. Less equivocal evidence exists for deliberate fire use in the Paleolithic period, beginning about 500,000 years ago. Neolithic sites have yielded objects that may have been used in fire, making drill for producing friction, heat in wood and flints for striking sparks from iron pyrites. In legend and religion, fire is common thing. For example, in Persian literature fire was discovered during a fight of a hero with a dragon. A stone that the hero used as a weapon missed the monster and struck a rock. Light shone forth and human beings saw fire for the first time. In Greek mythology, Prometheus was bestowed with god like powers when he stole the gods fire to give it to humanity. Fire has also played a central role in religion. It has been used as a god and recognized as a symbol of home and family in many cultures. Fire has also been a symbol of purification and of immortality and renewal, hence the lighting of flames of remembrance. The Temple of Vesta in Rome was an outstanding example of the importance of fire to the Romans. Vesta was originally the goddess of the fire and her shrine was in every home. We can only guess that pre-historic people may have gained knowledge of fire from observing things in nature. So the origin of fire before the dawn of civilization may be traced to an erupting volcano, or a forest fire, started by lighting. No one really knows where on the earth surface or at what stage of early history man learned how to start a fire and how to make use of it. Yet, today, man has had fire as: source of warmth and light protection against enemies cause chemical changes to foodstuffs to suit mans body structure provides processes for modifying chemicals into medicines provides heat to convert wood, metals, and bones into domestic tools or instruments for aggression

While the application of fire has served mans needs its careless and wanton use exact an enormous and dreadful toll from society in life and property. Hence, mans understanding of fire would enable him to develop the technology of prevention and control to a considerable advance state (Abis). WHAT IS FIRE? Fire - is a redox (oxidation-reduction) chemical process of combustion involving rapid oxidation of a fuel source at an elevated temperature, accompanied by the release of energy and the production of heat and light and gaseous by-products. As an energy release mechanism, it is the exothermic reaction involving oxidation that produces heat. Oxidation and reduction always occur in tandem in a redox process. If one substance gains oxygen (oxidation), then a second substance must also be present to lose oxygen (reduction). The first

substance is the reducing agent (oxidised) and the second substance is the oxidising agent (oxidiser). Reducing agents remove oxygen from another substance, and oxidising agents give oxygen to another substance. The combustion process begins when a fuel source is heated beyond its ignition temperature in the presence of an oxidant, with this molecular energy creating a self-sustaining chemical chain reaction of radicals when the energy it produces is greater than or equal to the energy needed for continued burning. CHEMISTRY OF FIRE
For a fire to thrive and spread it requires three things:

Heat A heat source is responsible for the initial ignition of fire, and heat is also needed to maintain the fire and permit it to spread. Heat allows fire to spread by removing the moisture from nearby fuel, warming surrounding air, and preheating the fuel in its path, enabling it to travel with greater ease. Fuel Fuel is any kind of combustible material, and is characterized by its moisture content (how wet the fuel is), size and shape, quantity, and the arrangement in which it is spread over the landscape. The moisture content determines how easily that fuel will burn. Oxygen Air contains about 21% oxygen, and most fires require at least 16% oxygen content to burn. Oxygen supports the chemical processes that occur during a wildland fire. When fuel burns, it reacts with oxygen from the surrounding air releasing heat and generating combustion products (i.e. gases, smoke,embers). This process is known as oxidation.

The Fire Triangle

The Fire Triangle is a simple way of understanding the factors of fire. Each side of the triangle represents one of the three ingredients needed to have a fire oxygen, heat, and fuel demonstrating the interdependence of these ingredients in creating and sustaining fire. When there is not enough heat generated to sustain the process, when the fuel is exhausted, removed, or isolated, or when oxygen supply is limited, then a side of the triangle is broken and the fire will die.
Without sufficient heat, a fire cannot begin, and it cannot continue. Heat can be removed by the application of a substance which reduces the amount of heat available to the fire reaction. This is often water, which requires heat for phase change from water to steam. Introducing sufficient quantities and types of powder or gas in the flame reduces the amount of heat available for the fire reaction in the same manner. Scraping embers from a burning structure also removes the heat source. Turning off the electricity in an electrical fire removes the ignition source. Without fuel, a fire will stop. Fuel can be removed naturally, as where the fire has consumed all the burnable fuel, or manually, by mechanically or chemically removing the fuel from the fire. Fuel separation is an important factor in wildland fire suppression, and is the basis for most major tactics, such as controlled burns. The fire stops because a lower concentration of fuel vapor in the flame leads to a decrease in energy release and a lower temperature. Removing the fuel thereby decreases the heat. Without sufficient oxygen, a fire cannot begin, and it cannot continue. With a With the presence of the elements of oxygencombustion may combustion process slows. In will decreased fire, concentration, the take place. Before a fuel most it must be changed to its vaporcases, there a fire situation, when the fire goes out so results from the state. In is plenty of air left this change usually this is commonly not a major factor. application of heat. The process is known as PYROLYSIS.

burn, initial

Pyrolysis (also known as thermal decomposition) is defined as the chemical decomposition of matter through the action of heat. In this case, the decomposition causes a change from a solid state to vapor state. If the vapor mixes sufficiently with air and heated to high temperature, combustion results. The combustion process is better represented by the fire tetrahedron. The Fire Tetrahedron

The fire tetrahedron is useful in illustrating and remembering the combustion process because it has room for the chain reaction and because each face touches the other three faces. The basic difference between the fire triangle and the fire tetrahedron is that: The tetrahedron illustrates how flaming combustion is supported and sustained through the chain reaction. In this sense, the chain reaction face keeps the other three faces from falling apart. The fire tetrahedron also explains the flaming mode of combustion. The modes of combustion are either Flaming mode or Surface mode (Glowing represented by the fire triangle). A condensed phased combustion is called glowing combustion A gas-phased combustion is known as flame If the process is confined with pressure it is called explosion If combustion propagates at supersonic speed, it produced a detonation PROPERTIES OF FIRE A. The Physical properties

1. Specific Gravity the ratio of the weight of a solid or liquid substance to the
weight of an equal volume of water.

2. Vapor density the weight of a volume of pure gas composed to the volume of
dry air at the same temperature and pressure.

3. Vapor Pressure the force exerted by the molecules on the surface of a liquid. 4. Temperature the measure of the degree of thermal agitation of molecules. 5. Boiling Point the constant temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid
is equal to the atmospheric pressure.

6. Ignition/Kindling temperature the minimum temperature at which the

substance must be heated in order to initiate combustion.

7. Fire point the lowest temperature of a liquid in an open container at which

vapors are evolved fast enough to support combustion.

8. Flash point the temperature at which a flammable liquid forms a vapor-air

mixture that ignites (mixture with in the explosive range). To burn a fuel (combustible material), its temperature must be raised until ignition point is reached. Thus, before a fuel start to burn or before it can be ignited, it has to be exposed to a certain degree of temperature. When the temperature of a certain substance is very high, it releases highly combustible vapors known as FREE RADICALS (combustible vapors such as hydrogen gas, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen). During the process of pyrolysis, the following are involved:

the fuel is heated until its temperature reaches its fire point, decomposition takes place moisture in the fuel is converted to vapor, decomposition produces combustible vapors that rise to the surface of the fuel (free radicals) free radicals undergo combustion.

B. The Chemical Properties

1. Endothermic Reactions changes whereby energy (heat) is

added before the reaction takes place

absorbed or is

2. Exothermic Reactions those that release or give off energy (heat) thus they
produce substances with less energy than the reactants.

3. Oxidation a chemical change that is exothermic, a change in which combustible 4.

material (fuel) and an oxidizing agent (air), react. Example of oxidation is combustion which is the same as actual burning (rapid oxidation) Flames flames are incandescent (very bright/glowing with intense heat) gases. It is a combustion product and a manifestation of fire when it is in its gas-phased combustion.

Types of Flames: a. Based on Color and Completeness of Combustibility of Fuel 1. Luminous Flame is orange-red, deposit soot at the bottom of a vessel being heated due to incomplete combustion and has a low temperature.

2. Non-Luminous Flame is blue, there is complete combustion of fuel and

has relatively high temperature.

b. Based on Fuel and Air Mixture 1. Premixed Flame is exemplified by a Bunsen-type laboratory burner where hydrocarbon (any substance containing primarily carbon and hydrogen) is thoroughly mixed with air before reaching the flame zone.

2. Diffusion Flame is observed when gas (fuel) alone is forced through a

nozzle into the atmosphere which diffuse in the surrounding atmosphere in order to form a flammable mixture. The candle flame is an example of diffusion flame governed purely by molecular diffusion, and the flame of the oxyacetylene torch. (diffused dispersed, widely spread)

c.

Based on Smoothness 1. Laminar Flame when a particle follows a smooth path through a gaseous flame

2. Turbulent Flame are those having unsteady, irregular flows. As physical

size, gas density or velocity is increased, all laminar gas flows tend to become turbulent.