See NFPA 921
Guide for
Fire and Explosion Investigations
2001 Edition
Committee Scope: This Committee shall have primary responsibility for documents relating to techniques to be used in investigating fires, and equipment and facilities designed to assist or be used in developing or verifying data needed by fire investigators in the determination of the origin and development of hostile fires.
Chapter 6 Electricity and Fire
6.1 Introduction.
This chapter discusses the analysis of electrical systems and equipment. The primary emphasis is on buildings with 120/240-volt, single-phase electrical systems. These voltages are typical in residential and commercial buildings. This chapter also discusses the basic principles of physics that relate to electricity and fire.
Prior to beginning an analysis of a specific electrical item, it is assumed that the person responsible for determining the cause of the fire will have already defined the area or point of origin. Electrical equipment should be considered as an ignition source equally with all other possible sources and not as either a first or last choice. The presence of electrical wiring or equipment at or near the origin of a fire does not necessarily mean that the fire was caused by electrical energy. Often the fire may destroy insulation or cause changes in the appearance of conductors or equipment that can lead to false assumptions. Careful evaluation is warranted.
Electrical conductors and equipment that are used appropriately and protected by properly sized and operating fuses or circuit breakers do not normally present a fire hazard. However, the conductors and equipment can provide ignition sources if easily ignitable materials are present where they have been improperly installed or used. A condition in the electrical wiring that does not conform to the NFPA 70, National Electrical CodeĀ®, might or might not be related to the cause of a fire.
[This message has been edited by Joe Tedesco (edited 01-16-2002).]