What is a common sign of accelerant use in a fire?

A common sign of accelerant use in a fire is the presence of rapid combustion in multiple areas. When accelerants are employed, they can lead to a fire spreading quickly and igniting in various locations simultaneously. This behavior is indicative of an accelerant because typical residential or building fires tend to spread more predictably from one ignition point.

Rapid combustion in multiple areas suggests that the fire doesn't just follow a single fuel source but instead has multiple points of origin, enabling it to grow more quickly and extensively than would normally be expected from standard combustible materials alone. This pattern can be crucial in determining whether an incident was a result of arson, as it often diverges from typical fire behavior observed in accidental fires.

When assessing signs of accelerant use, fire investigators will consider not only the patterns of the fire damage but also the overall fire development and how it correlates with the common behaviors of different fuels.