What is Intent? Are fire investigators trained to determine a person’s intent? Marriam-Webster defines intent as being the design or purpose to commit a wrongful or criminal act. Is the physical evidence sufficient to determine intent? Maybe sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. In my state I can intentionally set fire to my own property, and it is not a wrongful or criminal act. So, you have an intentionally set fire but what was on the person’s mine when he set the fire. According to the previous classification in 921 as to incendiary this fire could not be classified as incendiary. The classification states it needed to be the intentionally ignited in an area or under circumstances where and when there should not be a fire. Who makes the determination if there should or should not have been a fire? Was his thought that he wanted to clear the property or that he did not want his kids to get the house when he died? What it seems is that there are some wanting the investigator to make this call as to his intent. Yes, if he then files an insurance claim that can be used to suggest his intent but was his plan at the time he set the fire to file the claim. He may not even be considering it at the time. The fire on the stove, how can one say if it was intentional or not. I have had a person say they were not cooking but I found the control on the stove in the on position. Because the evidence did not compare to what the person said does that show intent of an intentionally set fire?

Jim Mazerat
Forensic Investigations Group