Res 1995-042 - Laserfiche WebLink

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/q/t-- penetrating to the first floor. It is clear that a hole was burned into the floor by an unknown substance. This material appeared to be fluid in nature by the marks left in place by heat. I collected samples from this area. It is clear this is the origin area of the fire. the room appeared to be an add on boxcar type construction adjoining the old brick structure to the metal warehouse. This veranda appeared to seat early on in the fire using the brick fire wall as a ..~- chimney. Through fire travel patterns it is clear that this i I fire reached the attic of the second floor spreading to the joists. The corrugated tin roof and pressed metal tin ceiling acted as a vent for this fire spread to throughout the attic. The fire ventilated in th'O areas inclusive of side one and side four. The veranda suffered excessive damage, however, caused little damage to the warehouse or brick structures. Room #7 also sustained damage from fire spread causing limited damage to this area. Portions of this room were filled with discarded combustibles prior to the fire. This is consistent wi th ..-i tness interviews. There did not appear to be any fire origin in this room. Damage was extensive along the connecting wall to the veranda. The remainder of the room showed typical heat/smoke marks coI1sistent with the rest of the building. Room #8 Again showed consistent heat/smoke marks with the second floor interior. As with the other rooms on this level the roof and ceiling were damaged. No other signs of origin were detected in this area. The roof and ceiling area were almost exclusively destroyed due to the ventilation ans spread of this fire. The structural walls and floor appear to be in good shape due to limited exposure direc;tly with fire. I obtained seven samples of carpet, wood, glass, electrical components and soil as depicted on the scene sketch. All materials were submitted for analysis. All samples were collected by this investigator and secured and transported for analysis by same. CAUSE AND ORIGIN In final analysis, due to the excellent physical evidence throughout the complex and strong indications of the presence of combustible liquids, it is apparent this fire was intentional in nature. The fire resulted from the ignition of a combustible/flammable material which resulted in the subsequent fire. It is most probable that the ignition factor encompasses use of an accelerant to the veranda floor connecting two larger buildings. Due to the