Heel of a Fire
Definition
The narrow, closed end of a wind-driven wildfire's elliptical burn perimeter, closest to the ignition point; the investigator works from the outer perimeter inward toward the heel to locate the ignition zone.
- Location
- Narrow closed end of the burn perimeter
- Fire type
- Wind-driven wildfire
- Proximity
- Closest to the ignition point
- Approach
- Work from perimeter inward toward heel
Common questions
Why does a wind-driven wildfire burn in an elliptical shape with a heel and a head?+
Wind pushes flames rapidly forward in the direction of travel, creating a long, wide head fire, while the fire spreads slowly and narrowly backward against the wind from the ignition point, leaving a tight, pointed heel near where it started.
What scene evidence besides fire shape helps confirm the location of the heel?+
Investigators look at char depth and directional indicators such as ash deposition, protected and unprotected fuel surfaces, and vegetation damage gradients that intensify toward the point of origin, cross-checked against the burn pattern's narrow end.
Related terms
- Cal Fire Law Enforcement and Investigations Division
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- Devil's Eye Burn Pattern
- The almond-shaped fire perimeter produced by a wind-driven wildfire, with the ignition point (heel) at the narrow end and the fire head...
- 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...