We meet the car fire analysts
We meet the expert investigators tasked with analysing the reasons behind vehicle fires
WHEN a car catches fire, the immediate priority is obviously safety. The fire brigade needs to ensure that all vehicle occupants are extricated and cared for, before thinking about what effect the burning car could have on the surrounding area and traffic.
But once the flames have died down, often leaving the car a smouldering wreck, a hefty insurance claim is likely to come in – meaning another layer of work begins. Because while in most instances when a car catches fire it’s due to a mechanical or electrical defect, or as the result of a crash, in some cases there’s more to the story. Insurance fraud, jealousy attacks or vandalism potentially come into play.
As a result, there are many cases where the root cause of the fire needs investigating. This is where Fire Investigations UK comes in, because this specialised company looks into the causes of suspicious fires in all circumstances, including vehicles. The firm deals with 20 to 30 cases each year where a vehicle has caught fire, and suspicions have been raised enough for an investigation to be requested, most often by the vehicle’s insurance company.
Formed nine years ago by Peter Mansi, who left the London Fire Brigade after 30 years of service, one of the first major automotive cases Fire Investigations UK dealt with was one involving GAP insurance. These policies are taken out on top of standard car insurance, and cover the shortfall between the value paid out for written-off vehicles, and any outstanding finance there may be on it.
Mansi explains: “A GAP insurer came to us saying: ‘We’re getting inundated with these claims, all in the last few months, all with three months or so left on the policies.
“That was a big deal. We set up a template for what we thought could be a genuine fire, and then we went to three or four of the cars in question and we showed that they were deliberate fires.”
Some of the methods used to determine whether a fire was set deliberately or not are kept under wraps. But the first step is to compare any story the vehicle owner tells, with what investigators think happened.
One obvious red flag is a smell of petrol from the interior of a car, because it’s usually a sign that someone has used an accelerant before setting it alight. While Fire Investigations UK can often determine the cause of a fire immediately, up-close examinations are also key when determining
“We analyse [vehicles] and we put our name on the block and say: ‘In our opinion, this is what we think’.”
PETER MANSI MD
“Insurers are looking to see if it’s a recall, a defect on a new vehicle, or if it has just been in for repair”
JAMES ACOTT Investigator
the cause. The firm’s lab in Watford is kitted out with all manner of equipment, allowing investigators to analyse parts to see if they have burnt in a way that’s consistent with the type of fire that’s alleged to have happened.
How well a car has been cared for is also taken into consideration, because if a burnt-out vehicle has recently undergone work and something wasn’t secured properly, or there’s an old, faulty component still in place, this can often provide a quick, clear – and innocent – answer.
In some cases, aftermarket exhaust systems or other non-standard mechanical additions can pose a fire hazard. Fire Investigations UK even saw a case where a lorry driver had rigged a three-pin plug up to his cab to plug a kettle into, which malfunctioned and set the whole HGV on fire. The firm was once called out to a car park fire in Ireland, where the total loss from damage to vehicles, shops and other property came to over 100million euros (£91million).
Some cases, unfortunately, inevitably point to arson. One incident investigated by Mansi and his team saw a man claim he was in the pub when his locked car caught fire outside. Fire Investigations UK, however, determined from the way the fire had started that a car door must have been open – a fact they passed on to the authorities.
Mansi’s evidence can be key in an arson trial. “We analyse [vehicles] and we put our name on the block and say: ‘In our opinion, this is what we think’,” he explains. “We try and keep our reports as concise as we can and in layman’s terms, so if it goes to court and is presented to a jury, it’s understandable.”
James Acott is another member of Fire Investigations UK’s team, and one of the few people at the firm who hasn’t previously worked for the fire brigade or police – instead, his background is in forensic science.
Acott says that one common reason for investigation is if an insurance claim is particularly expensive. The firm has interrogated the burnt remains of a Ferrari F355 Challenge, a McLaren P1 and an Aston Martin DB4 GT. “Some of the cars we look at are classics and may have just had an engine rebuild or something similar,” Acott says.
Fires suspected to be linked to a safety recall are another source of cases for the company, which worked on the notorious case of the Vauxhall Zafira B. “Insurers are often looking to see if it’s a recall or a manufacturing defect on a new vehicle, or if the vehicle has just been in for repair,” Acott explains.
Mansi and Acott say that jealousy attacks are another known cause of car fires. In some instances, the arsonist is only aiming to cause minor damage to the victim’s car by lighting flammable liquid on the paintwork. All too often, though, this will run down under the bonnet and into other areas, causing the whole car to catch fire.
Mansi and Acott work in a field that is closed to most of us. But given the complexity of their investigations, and the years of expertise they have between them, it’s a wonder why anyone even thinks about committing arson in the first place.