The 9/10/13 NCIS repeat episode titled "Double Blind" incorporated a fire investigation within the episode in which the fire began in a fuse box.
In a fire investigation the investigator wants to rule out the cause being accidental or an act of God before they call it Arson - an intentionally set fire.
An act of God would include a lightning strike which can often cause a fire.
An electrical fire can be caused by a short in a fuse box or an overloaded outlet.
An accidental fire may be as a result of a burning candle overturned, someone falling asleep and dropping a burning cigarette, a forgotten pan left on a stove top, and/or a heater too close to combustible materials.
To show Arson one would look for multiple sources of origin, pour patterns, or severe burning in an area not containing a lot of natural combustible materials. Of course there are things which can indicate these indicators but are misleading. For instance, if the foam in a sofa melts and the resulting liquid "pours" across the floor, it will simulate an accelerant pour pattern but is actually an natural occurrence due to the fire and heat.
The fire triangle states that oxygen, heat, and fuel are all necessary for sustained fire. Without any one of these the fire cannot exist. To determine if the fire was 'assisted' in its intensity or its creation is the job of the fire investigator.
This is just the tip of the iceberg to fire investigation. I apologize for using this analogy (ice) when dealing with such a HOT topic.
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