Creepy things found inside houses

[LKTraz]

0

How do you burn an apartment and have no one notice?

Easy.  The result of a bungled arson.

If you are familiar with how a backdraft occurs you have the answer.  They intended to fry at least the apartment if not the entire building.  They set an accelerated fire but closed it up and got out of Dodge before it took off.  What they didn't do is allow ventilation for the fire.  Once the oxygen level in the atmosphere went below 2% the fire went into an insipient stage where it retained heat but lost the free burning flames.  Kinda like when a charcoal grill hits the point where the coals provide heat but no smoke or flames.

If fresh air containing a 6% oxygen content is introduced by say someone opening a door or window,  BANG....backdraft and a return to free burning.  If left alone for long enough in the insipient stage, the heat eventually dissipates and lowers to a point that combustion ceases.  The damage is done but there is no evidence beyond where the fire was contained to.

Due to the lack of ventilation there is no smoke escaping from the burn area and unless someone is looking at it during the free burn leading to the insipient stage there is no outside evidence of fire.

So if they come back say a day or two later to see their handywork,  all they find is the damage to the unit inside and nobody is the wiser.

Out of fear they never report it since they are likely not all that bright enough to fabricate a believeable story.

Cases like this were a part of the arson investigation classes I took.  The exception to fire damage like this being intentional arson is from certain pieces of furniture with older foam stuffing (heavy in aldehydes) that will smoulder at high temperature for a long period.  A burning cigarette dropped on/in one of these couches or chairs can take hours to ignite to a free burn and then that stage won't last long because much of the available oxygen is already consumed.

In a scenario like this they may have accidentally dropped a cigarette while getting ready to head out on a trip, locked the place up and went away and when they returned they found the damage.  Once again due to fear that the owner will be pissed, they just shut up about it.