Physics and Natural Sciences
Fire
This paper is for a fire investigation class and it needs to be about youth fire setting like the one in Gatlinburg Tennessee that resulted in a devastating forest fire that tore through businesses and many homes in the community.
Fire
Fire is useful to our daily lives but when used without proper control could result in damages and even death. 3 out of 4 fires causes are intentional. Bathrooms are leading areas for intentional fire causes in public sectors while bedrooms for the private areas. While some may start the fire for fun it can also be related to the physiological state of the offender.
The Tennessee fire was presumed to have been started by the two teenagers that were arrested, but after more investigation, it was determined that they may not have been the direct cause of the fire damage. Other factors like strong wind, the shocks in the electricity line proved to be a much greater cause hence, they were released. Most of the intentional fires are caused by youths who have the habit of playing with fire. This may seem normal but it’s psychological. They may use ignition materials like lighters, fireworks and conceal these items until need be. After setting the fire instead of trying to put it off they may stay at a distance and watch as it burns as seen in a case in Sunnyside Oregon, where a lady set fire in a forest and uploaded the picture on Facebook saying “like my fire?” (U.S, Fire Administration, 2017)
Most of these youths have anger issues, and some due to peer influence, frequent cases of fire setting, and others result from parent and family behavior towards them. These fires started by youths can be reduced by teaching them how to safely handle the ignition tool and how fast a fire can get out of control. Scare tactics should be avoided because this can stimulate the behavior we are trying to prevent. Parents should be careful about how they handle fire because their actions send unspoken signals to these youths. While investigating fire we should consider all factors not only what is seen at the fire scene but also any history of fire setting activities of the offender, since this will be greater lead in solving the case
References
Eric Levenson and Tina Burnside, CNN. (2017, June 30). Charges dropped against youths accused in Gatlinburg wildfires. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/30/us/gatlinburg-fire-charges-dropped/index.html
US FIRE ADMINISTARTION. (2016, April 12). Arson wildfire court cases. Retrieved from https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/wildfire_arson/court_cases.html

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