Devil's Eye Burn Pattern
Definition
The almond-shaped fire perimeter produced by a wind-driven wildfire, with the ignition point (heel) at the narrow end and the fire head at the wide end; the primary terrain feature used to locate the wildfire ignition zone.
- Field
- Wildfire origin and cause investigation
- Shape
- Almond-shaped fire perimeter
- Narrow end
- Heel, near the ignition point
- Wide end
- Fire head, direction of spread
- Cause
- Wind-driven fire growth
Common questions
How does the devil's eye pattern actually point investigators back to the ignition point?+
Wind pushes the fire head forward fast while the flanks spread more slowly and the rear, closest to where the fire started, burns slowest of all under wind influence, so tracing the almond shape back to its narrow heel end gives investigators a defined zone to search for physical ignition evidence.
Does the devil's eye pattern work the same way without significant wind?+
No, the elongated almond shape specifically results from wind-driven spread; in calm conditions or on flat terrain without wind, fire tends to spread more radially from the origin, so investigators rely on other indicators, such as fuel consumption gradients and char patterns, rather than this shape alone.
Related terms
- Cal Fire Law Enforcement and Investigations Division
- The specialist investigative division of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection responsible for wildfire origin-and-cause investigation, with peace-officer powers, across...
- Heel of a Fire
- The narrow, closed end of a wind-driven wildfire's elliptical burn perimeter, closest to the ignition point; the investigator works from the outer...
- Ignition-Point Clustering Analysis
- A spatial statistical analysis applied to a series of suspected wildfire arson incidents, examining whether the geographic distribution of identified ignition points...
- Multiple Origin Areas
- Two or more separate, unconnected zones of fire origin in a structure, each with independent burning evidence; the strongest physical indicator of...
- Negative-Corpus Argument
- An invalid standalone conclusion in fire investigation that a fire was incendiary because no accidental cause was identified; rejected by NFPA 921...
- Pour Pattern
- A burn-through pattern in floor material or seat fabric produced by a liquid accelerant poured on the surface before ignition; produces a...
- Time-of-Day Analysis
- A statistical tool in wildfire arson investigation that compares the time-of-report distribution for suspected arson fires against confirmed accidental fires in the...
- Trailer Evidence
- A physical pathway of combustible material laid between two ignition areas in a structure arson to allow a single ignition act to...
- Undetermined Cause
- The correct fire cause classification when a fire investigator cannot identify a specific accidental cause but also has no positive physical evidence...