Unit 8 CHEMISTRY OF COMBUSTION AND ARSON

Learning Objectives

In this unit, I am able to:

1. Identify the fundamental principles of combustion

2. Discuss the physical evidences associated with fire
3. Identify the sources and types of fire source.
4. Identify the basic principles to be observed under a fire investigation

Arson and Fire Investigation

Arson Star City Incident

After years of providing family-friendly

entertainment and Christmas cheer, the popular
amusement park Star City went up in flames.

According to Star City’s management, it will be closed

this Christmas season after 60 percent of the
compound perished from the fire that lasted for
hours. News reports cited Atty. Rudolph Steve
Juralbal, vice president for legal affairs of Star City’s
owner, Elizalde Group of Companies, as saying:
“We’re targeting reopening about October [2020]. It’s
necessary because importation of rides takes time
and the set-up of the park also.”

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) inferred that

arson could have caused the fire that hit Star City.
While BFP initially found that the fire started from the
stockroom, it noted that different parts of Star City
seemed to have started burning at the same time.
Moreover, Lisa Macuja, wife of Fred Elizalde of the
Elizalde Group of Companies, reported to the BFP a
social media post stating that, “Star City will die.”

However, Arson was ruled out in the Star City incident. BFP spokesperson Gerrandie Agonos told
CNN Philippines that the ballast of a fluorescent lamp in the compound overheated and started the
fire last October 2. This debunked the arson theory earlier proposed by Pasay City Fire marshal
Supt. Paul Pili, who noted the presence of gasoline in one of the indoor rides and cotton brought
into the park prior to the incident.
Destructive arson contemplates the malicious burning of private and public structures, hotels,
buildings, edifices, trains, vessels, aircraft, factories and other military, government or commercial
establishments by any person or group of persons.

It is punishable by reclusion perpetua to death so as to effectively discourage and deter the

commission of this dastardly crime. In imposing these severe penalties, the following should be
considered: (a) extreme danger to human lives exposed by the malicious burning of these structures;
(b) danger to property resulting from the fire; (c) the fact that it is normally difficult to adopt
precautions against its commission; (e) the difficulty in pinpointing the perpetrators; and (f) the
greater impact on the social, economic, security and political fabric of the nation.

Destructive arson is characterized as a heinous crime for being a grievous, odious and hateful offense
and, which by reason of its inherent or manifest wickedness, viciousness, atrocity and perversity, is
repugnant and outrageous to the common standards and norms of decency and morality in a just,
civilized and ordered society.

Meanwhile, simple arson contemplates the malicious burning of private and public structures,
regardless of their size, and not otherwise classified in relation to destructive arson. These include
houses, dwellings, government buildings, farms, mills, plantations, railways, bus stations, airports,
wharves and other industrial establishments.

Unlike in the relevant provisions on destructive arson, the law tempers the penalty to be meted to
persons who have committed simple arson. This separate classification recognizes the need to lessen
the severity of punishment commensurate to the act or acts committed, depending on the particular
facts and circumstances of each case.

The penalty for simple arson shall be imposed in its maximum period if any of the following special
aggravating circumstances were present: (a) if committed with intent to gain; (b) if committed for the
benefit of another; (c) if the offender is motivated by spite or hatred toward the owner or occupant of
the property burned; and (d) if committed by a syndicate or group of three or more persons.
Moreover, if by reason, or on occasion of simple arson death results, the penalty of reclusion perpetua
to death shall be imposed.

Based on the foregoing definitions, determining whether the crime is destructive or simple arson
would depend on the kind, character, and location of the property burned, regardless of the value of
the damage caused. Likewise, while intent may be an ingredient of the crime of arson, it may be
inferred from the acts of accused. Thus, when the offender is shown to have deliberately set fire to a
building, the prosecution is not bound to provide further evidence of his wrongful intent. If there is an
eyewitness to the crime, he can give in detail the acts of accused. Furthermore, the prosecution may
describe the theatre of the crime and the conditions and circumstances surrounding it.

Source: https://business.inquirer.net/280440/explaining arson#ixzz6TLmf35cu 

Intentionally set fires, or arson, usually involve an accelerant of some type, as well as an incendiary
device used to ignite it, and these two components create the physical evidence forensic chemists
work with. Arson fires are also referred to as incendiary fires. For fires set in homes, a bedroom
was the most common point of origin; fires set in public buildings were usually started in
bathrooms. From a law enforcement point of view, arson is a difficult crime to clear; in 2008, only
18% of arson cases were cleared by arrest or other means. Nearly half of those arrested were under
18, and 3% were under 10 years of age.

One of the challenges of fire investigation is the classification of a fire as natural,accidental, or

incendiary (arson). investigators utilize evidence at the scene, as well as forensic analysis, to make
such determinations. One of the most important pieces of information required in making a
determination of arson is the location of the point or points of origin of the fire. Multiple points of
origin are strongly indicative of an intentionally set fire, whereas a point of origin at an electrical
outlet suggests an accidental fire.

Arson Investigation Questions

Directions. Answer the following questions based on the article above and what you have learned in
your lecture about combustion and arson.

1. What is the fire triangle?

2. What will an arsonist do to the fire triangle?

3. What does venting a structure do to the fire?

4. What are some signs of arson?

5. What do investigators do when arson is suspected?

6. What type of questions will the investigators ask?

7. What can indicate the fire was planned?