Republic of the Philippines

Province of Cotabato
Municipality of Makilala
MAKILALA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Conception, Makilala North Cotabato

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINOLOGY

Course No. : CDI- 6 Instructor : MIGUEL D. HAYAG JR., RCRIM, MSCJ

Course Title : Fire Technology and Arson Investigation Mobile Number : 09463882328
Credits Unit : 3 Units Email Address : hayagmiguel@gmail.com
Module No :7
Duration : 15-16 weeks

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

➢ determine the motives of arsonists

➢ identify and explain the stages of commission of arson
➢ identify and evaluate the common causes of fire

TOPIC/SUBJECT MATTER

➢ motives of arsonists
➢ stages in commission of arson
➢ common cause of fire
➢ other causes of fire
➢ miscellaneous causes

REFERENCES
Alocelja, R. & Villaluz, J. (2015). “Fire Investigation and Fire Technology”. An Instructional
Material for Criminology Students. Wiseman’s Books Trading, Inc.

COURSE CONTENT

Motives of arsonists

In criminal prosecution, motives necessary to identify the accused, thereafter intent can be shown:

1. Economic gain

2. Profit by the perpetrator other than the accused

a. Insurance agents wishing business with the assured

b. Business competitors planning to drive others

c. Persons seeking job as protection personnel such as security agencies

d. Salvager and contractors wishing to construct another building

3. Concealment of crime - to hide or commit crime, arson is committed

4. Punitive measure - to inflict injury to another due to hatred, jealousy or revenge

5. Intimidation or economic disabling these are saboteurs, strikers and racketeer to intimidate
management or em?ployee

6. Pyromania - is the uncontrollable impulse of a person to burn anything without any motivation. They
do not run away from the fire scene since they love watching fire burning.

Stages in commission of Arson`1

1. Attempted arson - the crime is attempted arson when the offender commences the commission of
the crime directly by overt acts (placing rags soaked in gasoline beside the wooden wall of the building
and lighting a match) but he does not perform all the acts of execution (the setting of fire to the rags)
due to untimely intervention of another who chases a way the offender.

➢ Where the accused admitted that he placed in the ceiling of a building rags, cloth, blanket and
rolls of toilet paper all soaked in gasoline and still wet, with the intention of burning the building
but he was not able to any fire because his preparatory acts were discovered, he is guilty of
attempted arson ( People vs. Go Kay, Ca, G.R No. 17474-R, Dec. 19. 1957)

➢ The act of throwing upon the roof of complainant's house flaming torch which did not burn the
house and which fell to the ground is attempted not frustrated arson. (People vs Baesa, CA, 550
O.G. 10291)

2. Frustrated arson - if the person was able to light the rags but the fire was put out before any part the
building was burn, it is frustrated (US v. Valdez, 39 Phil 240) The fact of having set fire to some rags
and jute sacks, soaked in kerosene oil and placed near the partition of the entresol of an inhabited
house, should not qualified as consummated arson, in as much as no part of the house had begun to
burn, although fire would have started in the said partition had it not been extinguished on time. The
crime committed was frustrated arson (U.S. vs. Valdez, 39 Phil 240)

3. Consummated arson - if before the fire was put out part of the building was burned even slight, it is
consummated.

The appellant did in fact set fire to the roof of the house and said house was in fact partially burned.
With this, the crime of arson was consummated, notwithstanding the fact that the fire was afterwards
extinguished, the consummation of the crime of arson does not depend upon the extent of damage
caused. (People vs. Hernandez, Phil. 122)

Setting fire to the contents of a building constitute the consummated crime of setting fire to a building
even if no part of the building was burned (US vs. Goo Foo Suy, 25 Phil 187)

Further discussion.

It is murder when death occurs as a result of arson Murder or homicide in a juridical sense would exist
if the killing were the objective of the malefactor and the burning of the building was resorted only as
the means of accomplishing the purpose.

The rule is otherwise when arson is itself the end and death is a mere consequence. The crime in such
a case would be arson only absorbing the homicide (people vs. paterno, 85 phil. 711)
Common Cause of Fire

Records show that the most common causes of fire incidents happened in the province of Albay are
the following:

1. Electrical- Electrical wiring/connection and appliances are among the largest reported causes
of fire
2. Cooking
3. Match/Candle/Gasera
4. Cigarette butts/ Smoking
5. LPG (tank/stove)
6. Flammable liquid
7. Spontaneous combustion
8. Bonfire/Open flame

Other causes of fire

1. Fireworks
2. sparks/Arcs
3. Explosive
4. Arson
5. Lightning

Miscellaneous causes

➢ Carelessness in smoking
➢ Careless handling of inflammable material
➢ Children playing with matches or fire
➢ Leaking gas pipes
➢ Friction caused by insufficient lubrication of machines, etc
➢ Spontaneous combustion
➢ Several materials have the property of retaining and concentrating the oxygen of the air on their
surface.
Determining the Cause of Fire

Fire and arson investigator's success depends on his ability to determine correctly the exact cause of
the fire.

The arson and fire investigator must also concern himself with point of origin that will tell him the cause
of the fire.

Must have the knowledge of the causes of the fire to determine an accidental fire or one that was
intentionally set.
EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:

Test I- ESSAY (20pts)

Instruction: write your answer on the space provided.

This will be graded based on the following

criteria:

Grammar - 2

Concept/thoughts - 6

Neatness/clarity - 2

1. What would be the possible constitute in stages in committing arson when setting fire to a part
of the building even if the building was not burned? Explain (10pts).

2. In a juridical sense what would be a possible exist if the killing is the objective of the malefactor
and the burning of the building was resorted only as the means of accomplishing the purpose?
Arson, Murder, or Homicide (10pts).

“MDHJR”
End