1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 187 What exactly do you do in the FBI?
The last stack of fire accident investigation reports was delivered.

After carefully counting the items, Theodore signed the receipt.

These reports are all originals.

He needs to read through it before returning it.

He will be responsible for any damage or loss during this period.

Theodora tapped the whiteboard, interrupting the bald firefighter's conversation with Bernie.

He glanced at the report catalog in his hand and said:
"From April 1, 1958, to yesterday, a total of three years, a total of 417 fire accident investigation reports were issued."

"The scope covers an area of ​​13.9 square miles (36 square kilometers) in the northeastern part of DC."

Everyone instinctively looked at the documents.

The table was already overflowing, so the last stack was placed directly on the ground.

They come in various thicknesses; some are crisp and exude the scent of ink, but most are limp and the letters on them have become smudged due to dampness.

They seem difficult to deal with.

In fact, they are indeed difficult to deal with.

These reports came from a total of 11 fire stations in the Northeast region, and the number of firefighters involved is unknown.

There is no standardized format for fire accident investigation reports!
During this period, departments like the FBI that had standardized format requirements for all forms were few and far between.

Reports from different fire stations, and even different firefighters, were completely different.

Most of these reports consist entirely of subjective textual descriptions, lacking photos of the fire scene and failing to preserve physical evidence.

Furthermore, given the varying levels of arson detection skills among firefighters, the reliability of the accident report's conclusions remains questionable.

Theodore had already considered these issues.

That's why we invited the bald firefighter as an expert to help.

He picked up a pen and began writing on the whiteboard, verbally assigning tasks:
"We will first screen the reports."

"For the first round, select fires that occur at night."

"The time is controlled between 8 pm and 6 am."

"The duration can be appropriately extended during winter."

This was the first time the bald firefighter had been invited by another department as an expert, and it was also the first time he had participated in such a meeting.

He asked with some curiosity, "Why at night?"

Theodore looked at him:

Arsonists often prefer the night.

"Night can make flames clearer, and arsonists can rely on the cover of darkness to stand by and watch."

The bald firefighter thought for a moment and then chimed in:

"It seems that's really the case."

He used his own experience as proof:

"We receive more fire reports at night than during the day. And fires at night are generally more serious than those during the day."

"Especially after 10 o'clock, when everyone is asleep, the fire might not be discovered until it has spread to the bed."

"So we generally don't like working the night shift."

The bald firefighter looked at Theodore with some surprise.

He was surprised that Theodore had such knowledge about the fire.

Theodore circled the time from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the whiteboard, highlighted it, and then continued:
"Focus on fires in residential areas, alleys, or abandoned buildings, excluding factories, forests, and other similar locations."

Without the bald firefighter even asking, he offered the explanation:
"These are the arsonists' favorite crime locations."

“Especially in residential areas, the northeastern district has a large number of old apartments and row houses. The population density is high, the facilities are old, and the area is flammable and easy to observe, making it a paradise for arsonists.”

According to the statistical report, arson in Emily's residences accounted for 68% of the total, far higher than the 21% in commercial buildings and 11% in wilderness areas.

Moreover, the mortality rate is extremely high, three times that of other types of arson.

On average, each arson attack in a residential area resulted in 1.2 deaths, while in a commercial area, the death rate was only 0.3.

The bald firefighter's line, "The fire only reached the bed when we realized it wasn't a joke," wasn't just a joke.

In residential fires, the majority of casualties are due to suffocation during sleep.

The bald firefighter looked at Theodore with surprise.

He's a firefighter, someone who deals with fires; Theodore isn't.

But now Theodore seems to know just as much about this as he does.

Theodore continued:
"Pay special attention to report conclusions marked as unexpected."

Animal carcasses were found at the scene of the fire.

"Especially if the fire is caused by gasoline or other accelerants, or if someone at the scene mentions the smell of gasoline or other accelerants."

"The arsonist had precise control over the amount of gasoline he used, and he must have used gasoline as an accelerant in his past crimes."

He glanced at the bald firefighter and finally said:

"And reports that are simplistic and incomplete."

Bernie and Billy Hawke also looked at the bald firefighter.

The bald firefighter had a complicated expression.

Billy Hawke suddenly said:
"Boss, Alan Brennan's case was just an accidental short circuit."

The bald firefighter immediately clarified:
"After the fire was extinguished, we conducted a thorough inspection. The fire originated in the electrical distribution box in the basement and was caused by a short circuit."

"The scene looked like an electrical short circuit."

"That was an accident."

Theodore looked at him and reminded him:

“That’s not what you said last time.”

"Last time you said 'it might be an accident'."

The bald firefighter was speechless.

Bernie spoke up to ease the awkwardness:

"Then let's start now."

He patted Billy Hawke on the shoulder:

"Billy and I will conduct a preliminary screening based on the criteria you provided."

Bernie then pointed to the bald firefighter:

"We will give you the report that meets the criteria, and you can make the judgment."

"Finally, hand it over to Theodore."

Theodore thought there was no problem and nodded.

The four men each picked up a stack of reports and began to look through them.

Initially, no reports were picked out, and Theodore and the bald firefighter didn't participate in the screening, so he remained idle.

This is a very tedious job.

A fire accident investigation report is not a storybook; it doesn't contain a plot.

Unless you encounter a firefighter with a particular preference who might add some subjective descriptions, the descriptions are usually just dry and unfiltered.

The bald firefighter was extremely serious at first, carefully reviewing every word in the report, afraid of missing anything.

But he soon began to feel a bit overwhelmed.

He felt as if the letters on the report had come to life, as if they were dancing hand in hand.

He began to miss the fire station, his firefighting uniform, and his training.

The bald firefighter counted and found that he had only seen the fourth one.

He was stunned.

Just then, Billy Hawke delivered another small stack of reports that had been screened and met the requirements.

The bald firefighter shook his head, focused his attention, and re-examined the report in his hand.

This is an investigation report on a fire that occurred at 1705 Thomas Street in the Northeast District.

The fire broke out in a row house built in 1908. The row house had three floors and a wooden structure.

The fire affected 95% of the first floor, almost completely destroying it, and more than half of the second floor was also burned.

The fire occurred on April 28, 1958, presumably around 10:30 p.m.

The neighbor called the police after smelling the smoke and strange odor.

The alarm was raised close to 11:00 PM.

The fire was finally extinguished at 00:15 on the morning of the 29th.

The row houses were rented by several workers together and used as dormitories.

Because the factory had to work overtime that night, several workers were not at home and thus escaped the disaster.

Firefighters located the source of the fire and found that it originated in the kitchen area in the northwest corner of the first floor.

The base of the ceiling chandelier in the room was completely melted, and a concentrated charred area was found on the floor, measuring 15.7 inches (approximately 40 cm) in diameter and about 1.2 inches (approximately 3 cm) in depth.

A secondary short-circuit molten bead was detected at the chandelier wire end, consistent with the characteristics of an electric arc ignited by aging and breakage of the copper wire.

Furthermore, there were discarded cotton and linen curtains piled up in the northwest corner, which are suspected to be accelerants ignited by an electric arc.

The fire investigation report concluded that the lamp holder circuit broke due to metal fatigue, generating an electric arc that ignited flammable materials below, thus causing the fire, which was an accidental fire.

The report is very detailed, with a large number of on-site photos taken from various angles, and the wording is rigorous with a lot of professional terminology.

Based on his years of experience, the bald firefighter immediately recognized that the report was written by a newcomer.

Firefighters with his experience usually don't write reports; instead, they review them.

Younger, more experienced firefighters, after writing many reports, tend to let their guard down, and the professionalism of their reports depends entirely on their mood while writing them.

Only newcomers would treat this with such seriousness and care.

The bald firefighter took out the photos and looked through them, then the more he flipped through them, the slower he became.

He looked up at Theodore, his expression turning serious.

He turned to the first page of the report, arranged the photos on one side according to their geographical locations, and began to read them carefully.

After reading the report again, he sighed silently, selected a few photos, and took the report to Theodore's desk.

Theodore is helping with the screening; the previous four reports were all confirmed as accidents by the bald firefighter, and he still has zero reports in his hands.

Theodore stopped screening when he saw the bald firefighter approaching.

Bernie and Billy Hawke also stopped what they were doing and looked up in their direction.

This is the first time a report has been sent to Theodore.

The bald firefighter spread the report out on the table and waved to Bernie and Billy Hawke.

While the three were reading the report, he pasted the photos on the whiteboard.

He didn't waste any time and went straight to the conclusion:

The report concluded that the fire was caused by a short circuit, which led to the accident.

The bald firefighter pointed to the area near the first few light fixtures:
"A short circuit in an electrical wire will melt the wire, causing it to break into molten beads and scatter."

He glanced at Theodore and emphasized:
"Just like the electrical panel in Allen's basement."

"But the molten beads in the photos of the fire scene were concentrated on the wires and did not splatter in any direction."

He then pointed to several other photos:

"The temperature of an electric arc is very high, but it is very short. The flame it forms will quickly spread outwards, forming a fan-shaped or V-shaped char zone, with the lightest point in the center and the heaviest point at the edges."

Seeing that the three men looked completely bewildered, the bald firefighter thought for a moment and gave an analogy:
"It's like putting gunpowder on paper and lighting it."

The three of them understood and nodded in unison.

The bald firefighter continues his "class":
"But the flame marks at the scene of this accident are not like that at all."

The photos are very clear. Although the carbonized area also shows a radial pattern, it is not fan-shaped or V-shaped at all, but a whole area, with deep carbonization in the center and becoming lighter towards the outside.

This is completely contrary to his account of the unexpected situation.

Fires caused by natural short circuits exhibit a diffuse carbonization pattern, resembling a shallow bowl, with the lightest carbonization occurring at the fire source and the heaviest at the edges.

In contrast, man-made short-circuit fires exhibit a funnel-shaped carbonization zone, resembling a deep well, with the fire source directly connected to the underlying structure.

The bald firefighter looked at the three men and said seriously:

"The marks left by the fire look like those from a welding torch burning a wooden board."

"These are typical signs of human intervention."

His explanation was very simple and easy to understand; the difference between the two was immediately clear.

This fire was clearly arson.

Theodore nodded and accepted the report.

He asked the bald firefighter:
Is this method difficult?

The bald firefighter didn't understand what he meant.

Theodore explained:

"Is it necessary to have a specific skill or group of people to do it, or can ordinary people do it?"

The bald firefighter thought for a moment and explained:

"It's actually very simple. Just tie the two wires together with wire or other metal, make sure they're secure, and then turn on the power."

He didn't know whether this was difficult or easy for others, or whether ordinary people could do it.

Anyway, he felt it was very simple, and he could do it easily on his own.

Theodore was also a little unsure and looked at Bernie and Billy Hawke.

The bald firefighter explained the procedure as he had guessed, but he didn't know if it was simple or not.

Billy Hawke and Bernie both agreed that this was not difficult and that most people could do it.

Both of them are extremely skilled with their hands. Billy Hawke can conjure a bomb with his bare hands, and Bernie's lock-picking skills far surpass those of the average thief.

These are not things that ordinary people can grasp.

Theodore felt that none of the four people present should be categorized as ordinary people, and that his judgment was probably not very accurate.

After careful consideration, he decided to ask a real, ordinary person.

He picked up the phone and dialed Russell L. Fleming.

Russell gave a clear answer.

He didn't know how to operate it.

After answering the question, he was a little nervous:

"Theodore, tell me honestly, what have you been doing at the FBI?"

"Last time..."

Theodore hung up the phone.

Everyone returned to their seats and continued working.

Although it cannot yet be confirmed whether the arsonist recorded in this report is the same person they are looking for, the appearance of this first report has put everyone at ease.

At least one fish that slipped through the net was found.

The bald firefighter had mixed feelings.

Theodore had previously mentioned that the arsonist was a repeat offender who had gone into hiding, and he vaguely disagreed with that assessment.

As it turned out, this was only the fifth report, and he actually found one who had slipped through the net.

It is unclear whether the fire was caused by the arsonist Theodore is looking for.

But this is only the fifth one!

He didn't even dare to imagine how many more cases had slipped through the net in the remaining reports.

As the report was written by a newcomer, it is quite thick and its content is comprehensive and all-encompassing.

This saved Theodore the trouble of having to communicate with the parties involved.

He can extract information directly from text.

He carefully examined the report, attempting to create a simple profile of the arsonist who caused the fire.

(End of this chapter)