How is evidence from a fire collected and preserved in CSI?

How is evidence from a fire collected and preserved in CSI?

Richard Saferstein (Former Chief Forensic Scientist) gives expert video advice on: How does a fire ignite?; How does learning where the fire originated help in CSI?; How does a fire grow? and more...

Well, that's pretty simple. As I said, we're really interested in forensic science and that includes looking for accelerants at crime scenes. So, when collections are made at crime scenes, you want to put those collections in an air tight container. We normally recommend air tight clean paint cans. They come in various sizes, and they're normally unbreakable, and well sealed. But a mason jar will do as well. But it's got to be put in an airtight container. You should not put those kind of materials in plastic bags. The plastic will interact with the accelerant, destroy it, and the accelerant will also vaporize right through the plastic as well. So do not use plastic containers when collecting fire debris.