Dogs nose out fire causes

Specially trained dogs are able to sniff out the causes of fires and can extend the capability of an investigator.

Magic and his handler Captain Charles LeBlanc, of the Moncton Fire Department, recently completed the five week canine-accelerant detection school program sponsored by State Farm.

LeBlanc and Magic join Captain Mark Nowlan and Mallow, the arson dog team with the Fredericton Fire Department.

The program is funded by State Farm and is available to fire departments and law enforcement agencies across North America. Since 1993, the program has placed more than 250 dogs in three provinces and 43 U.S. states.

 “We want to support the efforts of fire departments across the country to stamp out arson and put criminals behind bars,” says John Bordignon, media relations at State Farm Canada.

“The scope of arson goes beyond impacting insurance companies, it affects the personal and financial well being of us all. Training dogs like Magic to detect accelerants at fire scenes saves time and money in arson investigations and can help take criminals off our streets.”