Fires and Explosives

• The remains may be:
• -Difficult to recognize
• -Commingled (mixed up with other burned objects)
• -Extremely burned & fragments

1) Soft tissue charring, pulgistic psture due to muscle contraction

2)Burning focuses on hands, feet, & area with small amounts of soft tissue.

• 1) Charred bones- color changes
• -Yellow to brown > progresses towards balck as organic components burned off.

• 2)Calcine bones (i.e, cremated)
• -Gray to white - representing final stages of burning
• - this is the result of burning away of organic componets of bone

No DNA is recovered at this point

5-20 %

Rapid oxidation

accompanied by production of heat and light!

Sudden conversion of potential hear energy into kinetic energy

involves production & release of gases under pressure

The determination of the fire and or explosive occured must be determined in order to prevent it in the near future.

Investigation of the fire of origin and cause

Fuel

Heat

Oxygen

Uninhibited chemical chain reactions

Solid

liquid

• Vapor - fuel can only be volatilized & consumed in vapor state.

• Chemical fires - rapid oxidation
• Mechanical - overheating of machines (product of friction)
• Electrical- wiring could be off. electrical malfuctions
• Compressed gases- compression of molecules
• Nuclear- splitting atoms

CONDUCTION: transfer of hear through direct contact

CONCTION- transfer of heat through by a circulating medium (air, liquid)

RADIATION- transfer of heat through invisible waves (travels 186 miles/second)