The autopsy evaluation of “straightforward” fire deaths

Excerpt

Deaths caused by fires are not uncommon in forensic practice but can be amongst the most difficult to investigate. Not only is important scene evidence often destroyed in the conflagration, but so may be all, or part, of the body under investigation. Fire deaths arise from a wide variety of events that range from isolated single domestic accidents initiated by a candle burning curtains to mass disasters involving dozens of victims in nightclub fires, or from arson for insurance purposes to culturally determined homicides in the form of dowry murders [1, 2]. Autopsy evaluations have to be adapted for each of these situations and may be complicated by issues with identification, determination of the cause and manner of death, and interpretation of the potential significance of heat-related artefacts such as bone fractures and heat epidural hematomas [1]. Any approach to a fire death that assumes that all will be straightforward should be quickly abandoned, as each case must be examined with an open mind and an awareness of the numerous pitfalls that may be encountered. …