Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen
Podcasts Take Two
The search for the spark: investigators look for the origin of wildfires
solid orange rectangular banner
()
Aug 22, 2016
Listen 8:29
The search for the spark: investigators look for the origin of wildfires
As thousands of acres burn throughout Southern California, we take a look at how arson investigators look into the cause of the devastation.
Damage caused by the Blue Cut fire in Phelan, California on August 18th, 2016.
Damage caused by the Blue Cut fire in Phelan, California on August 18th, 2016.
(
Dan Tuffs for KPCC
)

As thousands of acres burn throughout Southern California, we take a look at how arson investigators look into the cause of the devastation.

It's burned roughly thirty-seven thousand acres in San Bernardino County, but firefighters now say the Blue Cut Fire is eighty-nine percent contained.

While it and other wildfires continue to burn throughout California, investigators are already looking into what sparked the flames in the first place.

To help us better understand how experts study wildfire cases, Take Two's Libby Denkmann called up Joe Sesniak in Arizona.

He's an active arson investigator with the International Association of Arson Investigators.

To hear the full conversation, click the blue play button above.