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Myths: Confounding Evidence of Hot Spots
Fire patterns show gradations in heat damage that may or may not be relevant to the fire origin. For structural fire investigations, the area of lowest burn (or of highest heat), may have great significance to the origin determination. Because automotive systems involve multiple locations where quantities of flammable liquids are found (under the hood, for instance), such “hot spots” may indicate locations of high fuel load and not be indicative of origin. For example, the origin may be quite subtle, such as at an electrical connection, but nearby flammables may propagate the fire and ignite a cache of brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir and leave evidence of a local hot spot by the reservoir. Likewise, other flammable solids, including plastics, interior components, and tires can provide distinctive burn patterns that may or may not point to the fire origin.
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