Authors: Muntawakilu Amadu & Doris Amedior
Affiliation: Prima Due Diligence Consult
Introduction
Fire investigation is the process of examining a fire incident to determine the possible cause, origin, and spread of the fire. It is crucial to determine whether a fire was intentional (arson) or accidental. Accidental fires could be the result of electrical faults, mechanical faults, or negligence. Determining the cause of fire enables stakeholders to take measures to prevent future incidents, and in the case of arson, legal actions can be taken against the perpetrators.
Fire scenes are complex and can be very messy to investigate, almost all evidence gets degraded or destroyed completely and hence setting fires on property tends to be a very convenient act for criminals. Also, acquiring, analyzing, and interpreting fire evidence can be a daunting task to undertake due to inadequate facilities and low expertise.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS)
In Ghana, fire scenes spanning from forest fires to automobile fires are attended to by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), and they are responsible for investigating and reporting the cause of a fire. Between January and November 2023, a total of 5,256 fire outbreaks were recorded 1. This implies that on average, 16 fire outbreaks are recorded daily across the nation.
For the same period in 2023, over GH₵ 200 million was lost, 196 lives were claimed, and about 1,498 people were injured as a result of fire 2. The causes of a large number of cases go undetermined and this is often attributed to extensive burning, and often lack of resources and facilities to undertake a forensic investigation.
Traditional methods of fire investigations mainly involve interviewing witnesses, visual examinations of the scene, documentation of any unusual phenomenon, and recovery of accelerants. Different fire origins (seats of fire) would in most cases (but not always) point to the deliberate setting of fire by an individual which could be attributed to arson. This methodology, even though essential at the initial investigation stage, is inadequate in complex fire incidents involving extensive fire spread.
The GNFS has built a new forensic science laboratory with the assistance of the National Insurance Commission (NIC). Though the laboratory is completed, it is yet to be equipped with the various forensic technologies and instruments needed for the examination of evidentiary materials, especially in fire and arson investigations. This development will boost fire investigation and reporting in Ghana as the GNFS will leverage strongly on scientific methods of investigating incidents 3,4.
The value of forensic fire investigation
Fires can be classified as natural, accidental, intentional, or undetermined. The main task of fire investigators is to seek out evidence to determine if a fire was intentional (arson) or not. A successful fire investigation requires both practical experience of fire investigation and an extensive understanding of fire science.
The investigators’ primary goal is to establish the facts of the incident, which will include coordinating the recovery of relevant physical or chemical material from the scene, examining fire debris for accelerants and igniters, and also liaising with forensic experts to reconstruct the event 5.
Even though not all arsonists use accelerants to set fires, a large number of them use accelerants to influence the rate of burn. When conventional methods of investigation fail to produce any clues or results, investigators tend to look out for the possibility of accelerants (ignitable liquids) within the scene or the burnt property. This step provides more clues and investigative leads to bring about a closure to the case.
Investigating an arson usually begins with a thorough search of the scene for clues and unusual occurrences. A possible indication of arson is an irregularly shaped fire pattern on the floor usually due to pouring accelerants on the surface. However, it is important to note that not all irregular fire patterns are arsons and thus supporting evidence from the forensic laboratory is needed to confirm the presence of ignitable liquids.
The cause of the fire is sought out by examining to see if the fire was initiated or accelerated by ignitable liquids like kerosene, petrol (gasoline), diesel, turpentine, heptane, etc. Also, the scene could be checked to see if the fire could have been started by a cigarette butt, electrical or mechanical failure, or a natural phenomenon.
If the cause of the fire is not ascertained, it becomes difficult to rule if the fire was intentional or not, and thus the conclusion becomes “undetermined”.
Testing for accelerants: The process of testing for accelerants involves recovering fire debris, pockets of suspicious liquids, and/or their containers. These samples are then forwarded to the chemistry or forensic laboratory to test and detect traces of known/common ignitable liquids.
The Sniffer, a portable vapour detector, can be used at the fire scene to locate areas containing trace amounts of flammable liquids. This tool screens the environment and fire remnants for volatile residues to determine the presence of an ignitable liquid by sucking in the surrounding air. The vapour detector is not a conclusive test however it is a great device for screening through a scene and assessing suspected samples.
Gas Chromatography (GC) is considered to be the most reliable and effective method for analyzing accelerants. The Gas Chromatography instrument is mostly combined with a Mass Spectrometer (MS) forming what is known as a GC-MS. It is a very sensitive and conclusive method for detecting accelerants from suspected samples. A flammable or Ignitable liquid is usually composed of hydrocarbons, GC separates the hydrocarbon components to produce a unique pattern associated with that particular flammable substance 5.
A forensic laboratory confirmatory (conclusive) test proving the presence of a flammable liquid in one or multiple areas within a fire scene would rule out the possibility of an accidental fire thereby suggesting an intentional fire (arson) assuming that the scene was naturally or known to be devoid of flammable liquids.
Reasons For Fire Investigation
Individuals, companies, or government bodies affected by fire would like to know if it was intentional or accidental. This will enable them to take the appropriate steps to avoid future occurrences and also apportion liability.
Insurance companies are mostly interested in knowing if the claims made by their insureds are genuine or not. They want to be sure that there is no foul play on the claims they pay, and hence, they have a vested interest in verifying the cause of the fire and the circumstances around it.
The National Insurance Commission (NIC) has donated hugely towards the establishment of the GNFS Forensic Science Laboratory. The NIC believes the laboratory will be a major help to insurance companies across the country, and it hopes that the laboratory will greatly assist in determining the actual cause of fires in order to ascertain if a fire incident falls within an insurance policy 6.
Conclusion
Fire investigations in Ghana are inhibited by a lack of fire investigation laboratories, forensic fire experts, and resources. Employing scientific techniques and procedures in fire investigations is a necessary augmentation to conventional methods of fire investigations. Scientific fire analysis will widen the scope and potential to determine the actual causes of fire and, hence, bring closure to cases. Also, it will ease the financial burden and risk of losing potential clues in the process of seeking an intervention from a foreign country.
Boosting forensic fire investigation will help in the following ways:
- Maximize the chances of determining the cause of a fire and bring closure to a case quicker.
- Minimize the financial expenditure of the government and other stakeholders.
- Avoid wrongful prosecution and incarceration of an innocent person.
Recommendations
The GNFS is on course to establish an ultra-modern central forensic science laboratory with a key goal of incorporating scientific techniques and analytical methods as a part of its routine fire investigation process. This is a step in the right direction. However, given the economic impact of fire outbreaks, and to enhance the forensic capacity of the GNFS, the government needs to allocate a portion of the national budget to fund the operation of the central lab and creation of regional laboratories across the country.
In addition to the above, other government bodies like the Ghana Police Forensic Science Laboratory (GPFSL), and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) are already well equipped for scientific analysis and investigating various forms of forensic evidence. They should be supported and provided with the necessary aid to expand their capacity and include the analysis of fire debris.
Moreover, private companies and laboratories should consider this underexplored market and establish forensic units capable of examining samples from fire scenes.
Stakeholders like insurance companies should invest and support both government and private agencies to build and sustain fire investigation laboratories.
References
- Ghana National Fire Service records 263 deaths in 5,256 fire outbreaks in 2023. Accessed November 9, 2024. Source: GhanaWeb
- GH¢203m Lost to fire last year — GNFS – Graphic Online. Accessed November 11, 2024. Source: GraphicOnline
- GNFS establishes forensic laboratory, plans to train firefighter across West Africa. Accessed November 13, 2024. Source: Modern Ghana
- Fire Service forensic lab nears completion – Graphic Online. Accessed November 13, 2024. Source: GraphicOnline
- Saferstein R. Criminalistics An Introduction to Forensic Science.; 2018. https://lccn.loc.gov/2016036756
- NIC backs plans by Fire Service to establish forensic laboratory – Citi Business News. Accessed November 13, 2024. https://citibusinessnews.com/2021/11/nic-backs-plans-by-fire-service-to-establish-forensic-laboratory/
Acknowledgement: The authors acknowledge and are grateful to all individuals they have gained both direct and indirect insights from regarding fire investigations in Ghana.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of their past or current affiliations. The opinions were derived from personal experiences, expertise, and subject knowledge.
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