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Authorities use forensic scanner to investigate fatal fire
South Fulton Fire and police combining their expertise along with technology as they investigate a fatal fire. Four people died when flames raced through a home last month.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - Investigators in the city of South Fulton are hoping technology will help them determine the cause of a fatal fire.
It is called a forensic scanner. While police use it at crime scenes, this is the first time South Fulton investigators have used it during a fire investigation.
When South Fulton Police Lt. Helen Weathers first heard about the deadly fire on Oswego Trail, she brought the scanner to the scene. When placed on a tripod it can capture 360-degree images.
"The laser as its making that turn scans millions and millions of data points 70 meters out and up above it like in a dome," said Lt. Weathers.
Not only does it help document the fire, investigators can then look at burn patterns, zoom in on evidence, and study the scene even after they leave.
"Instead of looking at a single photo and the 2-dimensional image, this takes you to where you were standing right there in the scene. So you see things better in relation to the overall scene," said Lt. Weathers.
Investigators are hoping the technology will help them find clues and other evidence that will help them determine how the fire started.
Twelve people were in the house when the blaze broke out last month. Several were rushed to the hospital with injuries, four died in the fire, including a 7-year-old girl.
While this is the first time the forensic scanner has been used at a fire scene, Lt. Weathers says she often uses it at crime scenes to look at everything from blood splatter to gunshot trajectory.