A fire occurred during the night in a semi-detached two-storey house. At the time of fire thehouse was occupied by three persons. The owner, an invalid, died during the fire. Although the firebrigade arrived at the fire scene at a very early stage of the fire, the fact that ceilings and walls werecovered by wooden slats inside the house and the ventilation conditions helped the fire to spread soquickly that extensive damage to the whole house resulted. It also led to the most unusual burn patternsthroughout the house. The most severe damage was found on the ceilings and walls, very little on thefloors and only superficial burns on the furniture.Because of the very extensive damage, the fast development of the fire and some inconclusive resultsfrom a chemical fire debris analysis the first fire investigators on the scene ascribed the fire to arson,committed by one of the inhabitants, using an accelerant. But by a very detailed examination of the burnpatterns showed conclusively that the fire had been caused by a burning cigarette smoked in bed by thehouse owner which accidentally started a smouldering combustion of the polyurethane mattress.Subsequently, a change of ventilation conditions triggered a backdraft and allowed the fire to spreadrapidly through first floor corridor and open staircase into the ground floor. This theory was supported byall the burn patterns whereas none of them supported the use of an accelerant.
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