Coked Cotton Fiber and Tar from a House Fire
This is a piece of coked cotton fiber and residual tar from
wire insulation that resulted from high temperature but lack
of oxygen in a house fire. The characteristic twist is still preserved in the
charred fiber. It was collected as part of a tapelift study of a home
after remediation.
Transmitted Off Crossed Polarized Light and Reflected Darkfield Illumination
Definition/Function:
Significance in the Environment:
Coked cotton fiber in a home may be from the top of an incondescent light bulb or a
product of a fire where the amount of oxygen present is too low
to oxidize the carbon in the fiber. In this case there were many such fibers as a result
of a fire in the home. The wireing in this home was
insulated with cotton/tar insulation and much of it burned in the area damaged by this
fire.
Characteristic Features:
Associated Particles:
References:
