Posted by: Tim Aiken
January 09, 2006

Fire loss investigators employ a variety of established scientific principles to support their conclusion about the cause and origin of an explosion and fire. Fire dynamics, the body of engineering that uses the disciplines of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mass transfer, and chemical kinetics to study fire ignition, growth and extinguishments.

Understanding the terminology and the findings of a fire investigation report require an understanding of fire investigation language. Some key terms and their explanation follow.

Heat Release Rate (HRH) or Rate of Heat Release (RHR): A measurement of the rate at which heat energy is generated by burning. Individual fuels and accelerants have unique heat release rates based on chemistry, physical form and availability of an oxidant.
Heat Transfer: Fire investigators use specific terms of conduction, convections and radiation to describe how a fire transfered heat.

1.) Conduction is the fuels phsical response to heating.
2.) Convection is the heat from buoyant hot gases moving across an object.
3.) Radiation is the means by which the hot gas layer heats the uninvolved regions of the compartment and creates the condition known as flashover.

Flashover: A transition phase in a contained fire. When a flashover occurs surfaces exposed to thermal radiation reach ignition temperature simultaneously and the fire spreads very rapidly throughout the space.
Compartment: A confined space that contains a fire and its effluents. Usually, any given room is a compartment but a compartment could be as small as a box. These compartment dimensions will have volume that is important scientific fire measurement.

The science of fire investigation and reconstruction is complex. An experienced fire loss attorney will know the leading fire investigation experts and will be able to help a judge and jury understand key scientific findings they identify when establishing both how and where a fire or explosion started. Contacting an attorney as soon as possible after a fire means that the investigation into the causes of your fire will begin while the existing evidence is still fresh.