| accelerant | In fire starting, any flammable fluid or compound that speeds the progress of a fire. Also called a booster.
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| alligatoring | The checking of charred wood, which gives it the appearance of alligator skin.
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| burn indicators | Any effects of heat or partial burning that indicate a fire's rate of development, points of origin, temperature, duration, and time of occurrence and the presence of flammable liquids.
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| catalytic combustion detector | A portable device that oxidizes any combustible gases in a sample; used to detect residues of flammable-liquid accelerants at fire scenes. Also called sniffer, combustible gas indicator, explosimeter, and vapor detector.
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| charring | The scorching of materials by fire; used to deduce the direction of fire spread by comparing relative depths of char throughout the scene.
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| chemical explosion | Explosions in which a high-pressure gas is produced by reactions that involve changes in the basic chemical nature of the fuel; commonly caused by the burning of hydrocarbon fuels (e.g., natural gas, gasoline, lubricating oils).
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| effective fire temperatures | In structural fires, identifiable temperatures which reflect physical effects that can be defined by specific temperature ranges.
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| explosion | A physical reaction characterized by the presence of high-pressure gas, confinement of the pressure, rapid release of the pressure, and change or damage to the confining structure, container, or vessel as a result of the pressure release.
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| flame ionization detector | A device that produces ionized molecules in proportion to the amount of combustible organic gases in a sample; used to detect residues of accelerants at fire scenes.
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| gas liquid chromatograph (GLC) | A portable device that separates a sample gas into measurable components; used to detect residues of accelerants at fire scenes.
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| incendiary mechanism | A fire-starting mechanism that consists of an ignition device, possibly a timing device, one or more plants to accelerate the flame, and, often, trailers to spread the fire; can be mechanical or chemical.
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| infrared spectrophotometer | A device that identifies samples by recording the amount of infrared light that passes through them; used to detect residues of flammable liquid accelerants at fire scenes.
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| layer-checking technique | In arson investigation, the process of examining the strata of debris, working through to the floor; may indicate the sequence of burning.
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| mechanical explosion | Explosions in which a high-pressure gas is produced by purely physical reactions; commonly caused by steam (e.g., the bursting of a steam boiler).
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| plant | In arson, the material placed around the ignition device to feed the flame.
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| Property Insurance Loss Register (PILR) | An insurance industry database that lists the insureds in burglary and theft claims and everyone with an insurable interest in fire claims; detects repeated patterns of claim activity.
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| pyromaniac | Arsonists who lack conscious motivation for their fire setting.
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| spalling | The breakdown in the surface tensile strength of concrete, masonry, or brick that occurs when exposure to high temperatures and rates of heating produces mechanical forces within the material.
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| spontaneous heating | An increase in temperature that results from a natural process; caused by chemical action, fermentation, or oxidation.
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| spontaneous ignition | The catching afire of materials subjected to spontaneous heating; usually requires several hours to several months of oxidation or fermentation.
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| trailer | In arson, any substance used to spread the fire from the plant to other parts of a room or building.
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| ultraviolet fluorescence | A technique in which a darkened fire scene is illuminated with an ultraviolet lamp so that certain substances glow; used to detect residues of accelerants and to locate the point of a fire's origin.
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