Fire Investigation - Help!

[dvfiremarshal]

Can anyone out there tell me if chlorine (Pool Shock) and motor oil form an unstable product capable of generating a fire?
I have ruled out mechanical and electrical as ignition sources and I am quite confident that this is not an arson.
If it is capable of generating a fire, how little would it take?

I could do this experiment, but I am not sure how quickly the results, if any would present themselves.

[fyrlieu]

I have conducted a similar experiment for investigations classes. Chlorine (flaked shock) and brake fluid (petroleum product) will create a very intense fire with a purplish flame. Only a few drops of brake fluid were needed in a half cup of Shock.

[raven911]

The only way to be totally sure is to test it out. This may be needed anyhow to establish a solid heat-fuel-event.

[leadlo]

It depends on what type of shock (chemical makeup) is involved as to the reaction time and volatility of the reaction you can expect. I have seen half of a pound bag of shock put into master cylinder resevior and it produced nothing but a large cloud of smoke. It was concluded that there was too much brake fluid compared to the amount of shock to cause ignition. The next evolution was placing the remaining half pound of shock on a car seat, making a small divet in the pile, about two ounces of break fluid was poured in. The reaction took about five to six minutes to begin smoking and maybe another minute for ignition to occur. Within three minutes of ignition the car seat the mixture was placed in was fully involved, quickly spreading to the rest of the car, full vehicle involvement was around eight to ten minutes of ignition.