Presenter: Daniel Gottuk

Although significant casualties and damage are attributed to electrical fires, there is still much uncertainty in clearly identifying forensic indicators of electrical components post-fire to be able to justify whether the component damage was a result of the fire (i.e., a fire victim) or whether it signifies a cause. An experimental study was conducted to assess the fire cause, damage, and forensic signatures of a wide range of electrical receptacles that both initiated electrical overheating fire events and were the victim of a fire exposure. The work provides a technical basis for assessing realistic electrical fire scenarios, improving fire scene interpretation, and evaluating the utility of forensic analysis techniques. The differences between arcing and melting in receptacle components and wiring are addressed.