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Accelerant

a fuel or oxidizer, often an ignitable liquid, intentionally used to initiate a fire or increase the rate of growth or spread of fire. NFPA 921, 3.3.2 

DISCUSSION—(1) Whether a substance is an accelerant depends not on its chemical structure but on its use. (2) This term is not used in fire debris analysis but is included in this standard for historical purposes and for clarity of meaning when used by stakeholders.

Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E3197-23 Standard Terminology Relating to Examination of Fire Debris. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2023. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard may be purchased from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org