Cases involving arson can be difficult to assess—and always have been—but thanks to advances in fire science, investigators can now better determine the cause of a blaze, whether intentional or otherwise.
Armed with the latest knowledge in fire science, prosecutors have begun revisiting old convictions related to fire incidents, hoping to acquit those who have been wrongfully accused of arson. It is hoped that the same knowledge can be used to revisit previous fire claims and help improve the way future claims are handled by the insurance industry. But another side effect of this initiative is that thousands of old insurance claims could be retrospectively reevaluated based on new evidence.
On February 7, 1980, a fire broke out in a townhouse located at 695 Sackett Street, Park Slope, taking the lives of Elizabeth Kinsey and her five children.
According to the building’s owner, Hannah Quick, the fire had been the work of three men: William Vasquez, Amaury Villalobos and Raymond Mora. The three were arrested and put on trial in 1981. Quick testified against them and circumstantial evidence collected at the site of the fire suggested arson.
A puddle shape among the ruins suggested that an accelerant was used to induce the flames. Also, investigators noted that the fire seemingly had two origin points. Both the testimony and the evidence were enough to get the three convicted of both arson and six felony murders.
But more recent testing revealed that no accelerants were present in the building. Moreover, at the time of the fire, Quick was arrested on drug charges for running a heroin den in her apartment.
Years later, on her deathbed, Quick was also said to have confessed that she sent away the men for a crime they did not commit.
With recent developments in fire science experts now know that puddle-like shapes in the ruins of a fire do not necessarily mean that an accelerant was used, as a phenomenon called a “flashover” could also cause the same telltale marks.
Flashovers occur when a blaze gets so hot that an entire room catches fire, with all available fuel (such as floors, baseboards, furniture) igniting at once. After a flashover, a fire might burn more intensely in other parts of the building that have better ventilation, giving the impression that the inferno originated from multiple locations.
Investigators are now using new fire science techniques to reevaluate cases like the 1980 fire. New findings could potentially open up significant numbers of insurance claims to be revaluated in cases of arson or accidental fire damage.
