Blaze : The Forensics of Fire

by Nicholas Faith

• ISBN13: 9780312979782
• ISBN10: 0312979789
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-17
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Summary

Focusing on the most destructive fires of modern times, Nicholas Faith details the work of these investigators as they piece together causes of ignition, observe how fire spreads and smoke flows, and attempt to understand the behavior of those unlucky souls caught in the most fearsome infernos. Their work can convict arsonists or form the bases of legislation-making buildings safer for all of us. Including information about the cataclysmic conflagrations at the MGM Grand and Our Lady of the Angels School, Blaze features first hand testimonies from people whose lives have been scarred by their encounters with fire. Nicholas Faith examines the fire-fighters who risk their lives tackling the blazes, and the investigators, safety engineers, and forensic scientists who scour gutted rubble heaps in the hope of understanding mankind's most complicated ally-and its most dangerous foe.

Author Biography

Nicholas Faith is a journalist and a writer for British television. He has written on topics as diverse as cognac, Bordeaux, Swiss banks, trains, trucks, ships, disasters, and forensic science. He has served as Industrial Editor of the Sunday Times and Assistant Editor of The Economist. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Glossary
Interviewees
Introduction	p. 1
The Investigators	p. 7
The Investigators	p. 9
The Arrival of Science	p. 17
Two Fires, Two Traumas, Two Triumphs	p. 28
Buildings and Contents	p. 43
Tombstone Technology	p. 45
Fatal Bits and Deadly Bobs	p. 59
Stop the Home Fires Burning	p. 71
The Hand of Man	p. 83
People Who Hate People	p. 85
The Most Bullied Arsonist	p. 99
The Philadelphia Story	p. 111
The Strange Case of the Pillow Pyro	p. 124
The Human Factor	p. 139
We're Only Human	p. 141
The Fatal Power of Normality	p. 150
Get Me Out of Here	p. 161
Postscript: A Model Future	p. 173
Index	p. 185
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