Twisted Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

he began to pull on his protective gear. He observed the flames and heat of the fire as his crew attempted to control it, as these were also indicators of origin and cause.
    About five minutes later their crew member surfaced carrying a badly burned and unconscious victim. Ambulance officers tried resuscitation but it appeared the person was already gone. In most instances involving a victim, the fire itself was usually the accidental cause of death. Sometimes when a fire started in the early hours of the morning, while the occupants slept, the smoke could cause victims to become disorientated when awoken by the blaze. In most cases they would become trapped within the house or pass out from the thick smoke. In most cases a crew arrived in time to save a trapped victim, particularly if the fire didn’t burn with intensity, however sometimes victims died from smoke inhalation without actually waking at all.
    The other scenarios, which he didn’t like to contemplate, were that the victim had been murdered before the blaze began and it was merely a cover up, or the fire itself was the murder weapon, which was far more sinister. He hoped it wasn’t like the previous arson case.
    An autopsy would ascertain whether it was a deliberate or accidental death. His findings would also aid in discovering how the death occurred.
    He didn’t feel confident about an accidental fire as he watched the strong, hot flames. Jared didn’t want to jump to conclusions until he’d investigated fully.
    While the men continued to extinguish the fire, Jared checked over his kit and ran an inventory. Now there was a suspicious death, the police officers who attended the scene had called in detectives along with the Medical Examiner. Jared knew they would need his findings for their investigations.
    The fire was almost quenched when Lucas and his partner Maggie Johnson arrived and, not far behind them, David Walker, the Medical Examiner. While David examined the victim, Lucas and Maggie came over to talk to Jared.
    “ Have you had an opportunity to check for arson?” Lucas asked.
    “ Not as yet. I was just about to go in as the boys are finishing up now.”
    “ OK, we’ll wait and interview some of the neighbours to see if they have any information.”
    Once Jared determined the fire was doused, he grabbed his evidence case and entered the building. He went from room to room checking for the possible point of origin.
    After eliminating all appliances and power outlets as the likely causes, he moved on searching for other combustible items that might possibly be the source.
    He checked each room thoroughly before discovering something in the dining room near a sliding door exit. The room, the curtains which housed the door and the carpet looked as though they’d been exposed to more heat than other rooms within the house. This indicated to Jared the area had probably burned for longer.
    He took photos of the area and documented his findings before removing a test kit from his case to check for an accelerant. After many tests of different areas, he finally received a positive result on the walls, curtains and the floor. He followed the path the fire would have taken and determined the accelerant had been splashed though many rooms in the house. He completed his report and went outside to share his findings with the detectives.
    “ Hudson,” he called.
    When the detectives came over, Jared continued, “The intensity and colour of the flames indicated to me something was fuelling the fire. After ruling out possible sources such as gas or oxygen which typically combust a fire, I tested the areas which appeared to be the ignition point and I received a positive result for an accelerant - probably petrol or something similar. I believe the fire was started deliberately.”
    “ The ME has informed us the young female victim has a blunt force trauma on the back of her head. He isn’t sure whether she has been hit or fell, but his assumption is the