Practical Fire and Arson Investigation, Second Edition

Book excerpt: Did you know. . . . . . that arson has been described as the fastest-growing crime in America? . . . that arson is the most expensive crime committed? . . . that over 8 billion dollars was estimated lost due to fires in 1994? . . . that an estimated 86,000 structure fires of incendiary or suspicious origin were reported in 1994? David Redsicker provides these statistics and much more, including practical methods, information, and advice for investigating these types of crimes, in Practical Fire and Arson Investigation, Second Edition. Extensively rewritten second edition of this practical manual - More than 40% new material! Practical Fire and Arson Investigation, Second Edition is a significantly revised, updated, and expanded new edition of this best-selling book in the Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations series, edited by Vernon Geberth. As in the first edition, specific details on the basic principles are presented, and advanced applied techniques for conducting a thorough fire and arson investigation are detailed. New topics covered in the Second Edition include: Extensively rewritten chapters on determining origin and cause, eliminating accidental fire causes, investigating fatal fires and vehicular fires, and documenting the fire/crime scene Fire scene photography using "painting with light" Importance of evidence preservation and analysis in civil litigation of liability and product defects