Fire
forensics | | Fire
scene - but what happens after the flames die down? |
At the
root of every fire there's a cause - either someone or something started it. But
how do you find out when all you have left is a burnt out shell of a building?
Inside Out South East goes behind the scenes of a series of blazes with
the fire investigators. Out of the ashes The fire investigators
are an elite team of specialist fire-fighters, who find answers in the ashes. They're
a bit like archaeologists, piecing together the clues on what started the fire
in the first place. The fire investigators are on call 24-7, working often
in dangerous and uncomfortable conditions. They often learn from the rubble
and ash on how best to prevent fires in the future. Looking for clues Inside
Out goes out on call with the East Sussex fire investigation team to find out
what happens after the flames have been put out. Richard Fowler
is a fire detective and we meet him at the scene of a massive blaze in Ovingdean.
It has taken more than 30 fire-fighters to bring it under control.  | | Investigators
uncover Giles' book in the devastation |
The tenant, Giles Hensser
is in a fire engine calming his nerves. He escaped, then returned to rescue
his landlady. They're both very lucky to be alive. Inside the devastation
is staggering. Everyday objects bare no resemblance to what they once were. But
that's not how it looks to the trained eye - to the investigators, a fire damaged
room is literally littered with clues. Virtually everything Giles owns is
gone except for his precious grandad's book which has miraculously survived. But
besides the book, there's not much else left to salvage. Giles is putting
a brave face on it, but that's not unusual, often the shock only sinks in later. Next
door in the bedroom, Richard Fowler thinks he's cracked the mystery. The
biggest clue is a mangled mass of wiring in the electricity cupboard. This
was an accidental fire, caused by an electrical fault -something arc'd and set
fire to the timber. Fire starter? It's turning out to be a
busy night for the firefighters, and Richard has been called out again. Just
five miles away in Central Brighton another house is alight. The building
is unoccupied, but something's not right. And when Richard gets to take a look
inside, there's one big clue that points to a potential arson attack - a petrol
can. This is now a matter for the police. And once the fire is put out,
everyone has to leave. A scenes of crime officer will arrive in the morning to
gather evidence.  | | Kaddy
investigates the fire scene for Inside Out |
The next day and
already the police have started work. In the daylight, and the destructive power
of fire is all too evident. The
house has been completely gutted, and the smell of burning is over-powering. The
fire-fighters knew it it had probably been started deliberately because they came
across two or three separate seats of fire. Now, they're taking samples
for testing back at the lab and the petrol can found the previous night is being
removed so it can be checked for fingerprints. They're still not absolutely
sure if the fire was deliberately started, so they've had to call in an expert.
Sam is a sniffer dog who can detect flammable liquids - a fire service
dog. With the help of dog handler Sarah Jones, he can pick up on even the
slightest whiff of any flammable liquid. Thanks to his nose, the investigators
now know that a flammable liquid was definitely used to start the fire. The
job of the fire investigation team is finally done.
Links relating
to this story:The
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听听Inside
Out - South East: Monday January 16, 2006
