Abstract
Liquid accelerants including kerosene, motor gasoline, and diesel fuel are often encountered in arson cases. The investigator must discover the presence of accelerants at the fire scene. Methods for their detection have been a subject of forensic interest. Visualization of a liquid accelerant at the fire scene was studied. Excitation and fluorescence spectra of liquid accelerants were measured. Broad fluorescence band in the spectral range between ultraviolet and shorter-wavelength region of visible was obtained when the excitation was performed in the ultraviolet spectral range. It is difficult to detect this fluorescence by human eyes. An image intensified CCD camera was used to visualize the fluorescence of accelerants. The experimental results show the applicability of new method to detection of liquid accelerants at the fire scene.
