Property destruction and its related crime, arson, can be the
work of the owners of the business, trying to commit insurance fraud. Sometimes they are
the work of persons trying to hide another crime. Often they are the work of unbalanced
employees or former employees with a real or imagined grudge. Sometimes they are the work
of a drunk, drug user or sick mind whose motivation most would find illogical. Regardless
of the motivation of the perpetrator, these crimes require an aggressive response.
Because the destruction of evidence by the fire is exacerbated
by the work of the firemen putting out the fire, the scene of the fire is one of the most
difficult crime scenes to examine. This is clearly not work for an amateur nor is it work
for a firefighter not skilled in investigations or an investigator not thoroughly
experienced in examining fire scenes and determining the cause and origin of the fire. You
may find it appropriate to use investigators with broader skills to manage the
investigation, but for examination of the physical evidence of the fire scene itself, he
should bring in an expert who can provide references which attest to his skill and
experience in the investigation of suspicious fires.
