Contents of Aerosol Cans can be Flammable!

During a recent vehicle fire investigation, it was discovered that the owner had been carrying at least eight aerosol cans of different products during the hottest month of the year so far.  The fire resulted in the destruction of a Toyota Highlander that was only months old.  This is a perfect example that illustrates the fact that people will forget that the contents are flammable and that the potential for explosion and fire is very real.  In this particular case, some of the contents of these cans were identified as Raid Multi 7 Insect Spray, Bayer Advanced Home Insect Spray and Aqua Net Hair Spray.  The cans that were recovered are shown in the photograph below.  It was also determined that at least one of the cans exploded prior to the fire.  It is imperative to remember that when products in aerosol cans are purchased, they should be stored in a cool and dry place, not left in a hot vehicle.  Not all aerosol cans contain flammable ingredients but, if you are not going to read the label, then treat them as flammable and store them accordingly.

 

 

 

 

Christmas and Safety

Christmas is fast approaching and so is winter. Although it is cold in many parts of the country not everyone has begun using their heating appliances on a regular basis. Instead, every year people resort to using small free-standing heaters to warm a room. From a fire investigation standpoint, I’ve already encountered two instances where small space heaters have been suspected as being the cause of a fire. Small space heaters are not necessarily defective and inherently dangerous if used properly. If the instructions say to keep the unit a certain distance away from combustible material, then, it is imperative that the minimum distance be maintained. The trouble is that consumers have a tendency to forget about that distance. Even more troubling is the fact that consumers will operate a small heater all night and unattended when that is clearly not the manufacturer’s intention. Remember that warm spot on the corner of the sofa that was created when the heater was turned on? After several hours, that warm spot can turn into a hot spot and then a point of ignition; all because the heater should not have been left on. That scenario prompts a question: can the heater be left on all night if the heater is sufficiently far away from all combustible material? The short answer is no. Anything that could knock the heater over might cause a fire. Most small heaters are equipped with a tip switch that turns the heater off in the event that the unit is tipped over. However, even though the power is off, that doesn’t mean that whatever the heater is resting on won’t ignite because of the residual heat emitted by the heater until it cools. The same rules apply to the use of kerosene heaters. In the case of kerosene heaters however, there is a steady production of carbon monoxide as the kerosene is burned. People with breathing difficulties can be severely affected. If a unit is allowed to burn all night, the risk that occurs is that there will come a point where the kerosene level will be low enough to produce soot instead of heat. So, in either case, whether using an electric or kerosene heater, it is best not leave them on and unattended during the night.

Hopefully, this reminder will help someone avoid a disastrous holiday season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Engineers and Fire Investigators

Many people who work in the insurance  industry are under the impression that the work that engineers and fire investigators do is the same.  Because of this perception, they are often not sure whether when to use an engineer or a fire investigator.  Fire investigators are usually private investigators, engineers are not.  However, it is not unheard of for an engineer to be licensed to practice fire investigation.  Depending on the state in which they are based, they might be required to be licensed as private investigators in order to perform fire investigative services.  Typically, fire investigators do not have the education or experience to analyze the physics behind fire scenarios.  It is for this reason that engineers are used.  Engineers are equipped by education and (hopefully) by experience to address the physical workings of a machine that was thought to have malfunctioned and caused a fire.  In addition, engineers do not account for assets, conduct surveillance activities, or do background checks on people.  Engineers do investigate failures by means of experimentation, research, and calculation.  Where fires are concerned, fire investigators can identify the origin of a fire.  If that origin is inside a machine, such as an appliance, then, an engineer should be used to determine the cause of  the fire by determining what component failed. Engineers are also used to confirm that a machine was not involved in the cause of a fire.  Unless the cause is very obvious, an engineer should be used to identify the cause of a fire when the origin is placed by the fire investigator inside a machine.