Due to the increased number of kitchen and cooking fires that our clients had been experiencing recently, Jack Ward Fire Consultants and AEGI took the initiative to conduct scientific testing to provide data to our investigators that will allow them to be better prepared to report on all aspects involving kitchen fires.
In each of the tests, one variable was changed in hopes of understanding outcomes for multiple different possible situations. Those variables were the use of different oils, size of burner and the type of pan used to heat the oil. In some cases ignitable liquid was used, both with and without oil present. Also, there were tests that were pilot ignited by open flame instead of using the flattop range to heat the oil to its auto ignition temperature.
Another aspect that was addressed was the collection and identification of soot particles from different types of oils and accelerants. During some of the tests soot particles were captured through the use of flat glass surfaces placed in direct contact with the emitting smoke. Those glass surfaces were then swabbed using sterile gauze, placed in a sealed container and shipped for testing.
Since the testing, JWFC has been able to more accurately make determinations on these types of losses, allowing our clients the ability to recognize fraudulent claims.