Fire forensics | | Fire scene - but what happens after the flames die down? |
At the root of every fire there's a cause - either someone or something started it. But how do you find out when all you have left is a burnt out shell of a building? Inside Out South East goes behind the scenes of a series of blazes with the fire investigators. Out of the ashes The fire investigators are an elite team of specialist fire-fighters, who find answers in the ashes. They're a bit like archaeologists, piecing together the clues on what started the fire in the first place. The fire investigators are on call 24-7, working often in dangerous and uncomfortable conditions. They often learn from the rubble and ash on how best to prevent fires in the future. Looking for clues Inside Out goes out on call with the East Sussex fire investigation team to find out what happens after the flames have been put out. Richard Fowler is a fire detective and we meet him at the scene of a massive blaze in Ovingdean. It has taken more than 30 fire-fighters to bring it under control.  | | Investigators uncover Giles' book in the devastation |
The tenant, Giles Hensser is in a fire engine calming his nerves. He escaped, then returned to rescue his landlady. They're both very lucky to be alive. Inside the devastation is staggering. Everyday objects bare no resemblance to what they once were. But that's not how it looks to the trained eye - to the investigators, a fire damaged room is literally littered with clues. Virtually everything Giles owns is gone except for his precious grandad's book which has miraculously survived. But besides the book, there's not much else left to salvage. Giles is putting a brave face on it, but that's not unusual, often the shock only sinks in later. Next door in the bedroom, Richard Fowler thinks he's cracked the mystery. The biggest clue is a mangled mass of wiring in the electricity cupboard. This was an accidental fire, caused by an electrical fault -something arc'd and set fire to the timber. Fire starter? It's turning out to be a busy night for the firefighters, and Richard has been called out again. Just five miles away in Central Brighton another house is alight. The building is unoccupied, but something's not right. And when Richard gets to take a look inside, there's one big clue that points to a potential arson attack - a petrol can. This is now a matter for the police. And once the fire is put out, everyone has to leave. A scenes of crime officer will arrive in the morning to gather evidence.  | | Kaddy investigates the fire scene for Inside Out |
The next day and already the police have started work. In the daylight, and the destructive power of fire is all too evident. The house has been completely gutted, and the smell of burning is over-powering. The fire-fighters knew it it had probably been started deliberately because they came across two or three separate seats of fire. Now, they're taking samples for testing back at the lab and the petrol can found the previous night is being removed so it can be checked for fingerprints. They're still not absolutely sure if the fire was deliberately started, so they've had to call in an expert. Sam is a sniffer dog who can detect flammable liquids - a fire service dog. With the help of dog handler Sarah Jones, he can pick up on even the slightest whiff of any flammable liquid. Thanks to his nose, the investigators now know that a flammable liquid was definitely used to start the fire. The job of the fire investigation team is finally done.
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Inside Out - South East: Monday January 16, 2006
