This report presents a summary of the investigation of a fire that burnt a house with a possible cause suspected to be a Christmas tree. It looks into the conditions of the burnt house specifically the areas close to be the possible cause of fire: A malfunction in the electrical system of a Christmas tree. Also, it examines possible reasons and tries to explain the events leading to the fire; its cause, origin, fuel and fire patterns left in the house. The conditions of the house after the fire are carefully examined so as to eliminate possible and suspected causes of the fire. It will employ scientific methods such as heat and flame vector analysis to determine the events that lead to the cause and spread of the fire throughout the house. Heat and flame vector analysis is employed to determine the direction of the flow of both heat and flame from the origin as it spreads to the rest of the house. After heat and flame vector analysis has been employed in identifying the origin and spread patterns of both heat and flame, further investigations are employed using this information to determine the possible cause of the fire.
Origin and cause
Identification of fire origin
The fire patterns witnessed from the scene of fire points the origin of the fire to a fault in the connection of the Christmas tree. The fire pattern within the building indicates that the fire originated from the region next to the socket where the Christmas tree was located. There is a section of the room that remained intact; no amount of fire effects was witnessed in this section of the house. From the heat and flame vector analysis, it is rational to deduce that the fire originated from the socket next to the Christmas tree and spread towards the couch-like objects and above the tree to the ceiling of the building. The fire pattern can be deduced for the degree of burns exhibited by various objects present at the fire scene (Gorbett 25).
The objects that were closer to the Christmas tree and the socket received severe burns as compared to the objects far away for the previous location of the tree. Most of the objects that were in the same location as the tree were burnt down beyond recognition. The Christmas tree is without any of its green branches. This indicates that the branches were consumed by the presence of intense flame and heat at this point. The fire consumed all the green branches of the Christmas tree due to the intensity of heat and flame at this point. The fact that only the trunk of the Christmas tree was left, indicate that the tree might have been wet, and not dry, otherwise the flame could have turned it into charcoal. The remnants of the Christmas tree suggest that it was either a well watered tree or a freshly cut Christmas tree. Dried out Christmas trees have the tendency of burning much faster and to the fullest as compared to freshly cut or well watered Christmas tree.
Additional evidence that points the source of the Christmas tree is demonstrated by the degree of burns obtained by the electrical socket where the tree was plugged. The fragments of glass window next to the remnants of the Christmas tree indicate that heat and flame were intense at this action of the house as compared to the other sections far away from the location of the Christmas tree. Heat and flame vector analysis indicate that the fires originated from the Christmas tree. This is suggested by the presence of numerous charred particles at the base location of the Christmas tree. The charring pattern of the floor shows intense burns at the spot of the Christmas tree and the surrounding objects. The intensity reduces with distance away from the location of the tree to other sections of the house. It is apparent that the fire was intense at the bottom section near the socket and spread upwards to the ceiling through to the north western corner of the house (Gorbett 25).
The burns on the walls and the windows close to the socket indicate the movement and spread of the fire from the location of the tree to other areas of the house. The section of the house towards the door did not receive severe burns. This is a further indication that the fire did not originate from this location. From the socket near the window, close to the position of the remnants of the tree, the fire moved upwards to the ceiling and westwards. This can be as a result of the close location of combustible objects such as the couch.
Application of flame and vector analysis of fire pattern on the couch indicates that the couch burnt uniformly except for its underside. The couch was located next to the socket near the position of the Christmas tree. For an object to burn uniformly, it must be close to the source of the fire. Objects that burn on one side more than other side indicates the side of the object that was next to the source of the fire compared to the other side. In this case, the couch exhibited a uniform burn all over. This suggests that it was located next to the source of the fire to be able to achieve such uniform burns. Given that the cough was located close to the socket where the Christmas tree was located, it is rational to deduce that the tree was the source of the fire (Gorbett 13).
Additionally, the melting seen in the object next to the socket where the Christmas tree was located is a further indication as to where the fire originated. The degree of the burn is seen to move from the region close to the location of the Christmas tree towards the western part of the object. The eastern part of the object is highly burnt and charred while the western part of the object has melted intensively. Application of heat and vector analysis on this object indicates that the fire travelled from the eastern part of the object towards the western part. The presence of charred and highly burnt section of the object suggested exposure to intense amount of heat and flame. On the other side, the melted portion of the object towards the western part suggests reduced intensity of heat and flame. As a consequence, it is evident that fie originated from the eastern part of the floor and spread towards the western part of the house.
Fuel Analysis
Since the origin of the fire has been determined to be the Christmas tree, it is imperative to analyze the situation and evidence to find out the possible fuel that might have propelled and elevated the fire. There are several objects within the fire scene that may have acted as potential fuel to further the spread of the fire. The Christmas tree itself acts as a fuel to further the spread of fire. According to the fire patterns around the location of the tree, it is evident that the branches of the Christmas tree might have encouraged the spread of fire once it was ignited. Live tree leaves and branches act as good fuel and may encourage the intensity and spread of fire across the house after ignition. The electrical wiring that supplies current to the decorative lamps placed on the Christmas tree present another source of fuel for the spread of the fire. Additionally, the shiny plastic balls used as decorative also act as possible fuel for the fire. Apart from the Christmas tree and its components, the burns exhibited in the cough suggest that it might have been a source of fuel for the fire. The ceiling is made of wood which is highly combustible. From the evidence collected at the scene, it is clear that the material (wood) used to make the ceiling board acted as a source of fuel to further the spread of the fire.
Analysis of the cause of fire
The socket close to the Christmas tree has some signs that show burns and melting. The burns and melting of the socket suggest that an electrical malfunction in the lighting system of the Christmas tree could have ignited the tree. This indicates that the origin of the fire might be electrical system used for the Christmas tree lighting. An overload of the decorative objects and lights must have resulted into an electrical fault. This fault ignited the Christmas tree through the wiring and the branches of the tree.
Summary
According to the evidence collected and analyzed using the heat and flame vector analysis, it is rational to conclude that the fire was caused by electrical malfunction in the lighting system of the Christmas tree. This is indicated by the presence of burns and melted electric sockets next to the tree. The wet branches, decorative items and he wiring on the Christmas tree fueled the fire in its first stages after ignition. The braches fueled and spread the fire further towards the couch located close to the tree on the western part of the house. Also, the branches of the tree fueled the spread of the fire upwards towards the ceiling. Since the ceiling is made of wood, the spread of fire intensified and spread to other areas on the roof of the room. This is indicated by the presence of soot and burns on the top part of the door while the lower part of the door has no soot or burns.
Works Cited
Gorbett, Gregory E., et al. "A new method for the characterization of the degree of fire damage to gypsum wallboard for use in fire investigations."Journal of forensic sciences 60.s1 (2015).
