SWAIT Newsletter
Welcome to the SWAIT newsletter. We periodically posts to this page. Our covered topics include links to news articles related to wildland arson, article analysis, arson and fire investigation training, SWAIT training updates and original content. Every few months, we will combine the posts into an email newsletter. If you would like to receive the newsletter please subscribe.
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The Palisades Fire: Follow Evidence, Not Politics
SWAIT Staff examine the latest updates from the Palisades Fire Investigation.
Registration for SWAIT Reno 2026 is Open!
The time has come to start registering for SWAIT Reno 2026. The training will be February 10-12 at the Regional Public Safety Training Center in Reno, NV. Check out our line up for the year.
SWAIT Reno 2026 On Demand Virtual Option
Want to come to the SWAIT Reno 2026 but cannot make it? For 2026 we have an on demand (virtual) option. Check out our website for additional details.
Arson Device Linkage
Justin Halstenberg (35), was convicted of starting the 2024 Line Fire in Southern California. The fire was found to have been started by an incendiary device. Investigators initially found Halstenberg’s vehicle license plate in pictures from an automatic license-plate reader in the area of the Line Fire. Subsequently, during the investigation, Halstneberg was linked to the fire by device construction.
Volunteer Firefighter Arsonist
In 2023, Adam Ewing (18), a volunteer firefighter from Saltillo, PA, was charged with starting 21 fires. Ewing plead guilty to all of the charges. Toilet paper was used to start several of the fires.
Serial Arsonist Justin Caruso
SWAIT contributor Ed Nordskog presents the Justin Caruso case for the Profiler:True Crime Africa YouTube channel. Caruso was a prolific arsonist who started fires in multiple states with one of his fires causing a fatality. For those of you that attended SWAIT Reno 2024, you may remember this case was presented by two of the case prosecutors from Arizona.
Dispatcher Arsonist
An Ohio dispatcher and former police officer plead guilty to starting 26 fires in the Wayne National Forest. Let's take a quick look at his motives for starting the fires.
Cigarette and Wildfires: A Literature Review
Do you remember what you’ve been taught about cigarettes and wildfires? You probably remember we were taught that a cigarette ignition required a fuel moisture of 14% or less, 80+degrees F temperature and humidity less than 22%. A February 2023 literature review by the Canadian Alberta Government found these hard and fast weather rules for cigarette ignitions to be invalid and outdated.
Can Fire Safe Cigarettes Start Wildfires?
If you investigate wildfires, make sure to keep up to date on new and emerging studies related to the field. This linked study looks at whether “fire safe” cigarettes can start wildfires. Spoiler alert - they can!
X900: Investigation of Powerline Caused Wildland Fires
NWCG has updated the X900 Powerline course. It now resides on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal and can be taken on demand. The course takes about 2-3 hours to complete. If you’ve never taken X900 or need a refresher on investigating powerline caused wildland fires check it out today. The course is free. If you don’t have an account on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal, it is free to set one up. Once you have an account setup, from your home page, click on the on demand courses button in the upper right corner of the page or click the below link.
PMS412/FI210 Update
The new version of PMS412 Guide to Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination has been released. A pdf copy can be obtained from the NWCG website.
How to Keep SWAIT Newsletter Out of Your Junk Folder
Junk mail sucks! But sometimes emails we want to see end up in the junk folder. Over half of our subscribers are not getting the periodic newsletter emails we send out. Make sure to add newsletter@swaitreno.com to your safe sender list today. We’ve created a tutorial on how to add SWAIT (and other email addresses) to your safe sender list. Check it out! Junk Mail Filter Tutorial
AI Expert Witness
Have you ever taken a moment to consider the possibility of using AI technology to assist you on a case? Would you be comfortable allowing AI to take on the task of writing your report? Or would you trust AI enough to take its advice when acting as an expert witness?
Digital Evidence Integrity
Have you ever taken a screenshot of a text message or social media post for one of your cases? You may want to rethink how you collect digital evidence. Forbes’s Lars Daniel takes a deep dive into the validity of digital evidence in his article Can Screenshots Of Text Messages Be Used As Digital Evidence In Court?
Axe Body Spray Arsonist
Bureau of Land Management Special Agents search the country for the Axe Body Spray Arsonist. The arsonist is believed to have started fires using ignited axe body spray. Special Agents are attempting to link the suspect through DNA found at the fire scene. WMBF News article Affidavit: Authorities request DNA to connect Surfside Beach man to California wildfire arson by Kristin Nelson dives deeper into the story. Make sure to check out the attached Federal Application for Search Warrant and Affidavit attached to the story.
Cotton Ball Arsonist
A Long Island New York volunteer firefighter arrested and charged with arson. The New York times, in the article Firefighter Charged With Arson Said He Put Lit Cotton Balls Under Car, reports the suspect used cotton balls to ignite vehicles and brush.
The Power of an Arsonist
Are arson fires on the rise in California? Is climate change making the fires worse? The Heatmap.news article The Fire Condition We Can’t Control For by journalist Jeva Lange dives into arson fires in California. She interviewed SWAIT Contributor Ed Nordskog for the article.
Shoe Impression Arson Caper
How often have you done shoe or tire impression casting in your career? Don’t overlook the investigative gold you might be missing by failing to cast.
The Cleanup Arsonist
Have you heard this before? “I am not an arsonist. I was just cleaning up vegetation, debris, garbage etc.” If you have worked enough arson cases, gone to enough trainings or read a few arson books, you’ve probably have heard this line before.
Registration for SWAIT Reno 2025 is Open!
The time has come to start registering for SWAIT Reno 2025. The training will be February 25-27 at the Regional Public Safety Training Center in Reno, NV. Check out our line up for the year.