HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — Howard County Fire Department has a new four-legged investigator on the team.
Meet Beacon, a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever who serves as the department's newest arson accelerant detection dog. The canine uses his keen sense of smell to detect substances like gasoline and lighter fluid that may have been used to start fires.
Say hello to Beacon!
"As fire investigators, it may take us hours or days to potentially locate criminal evidence to support that fire cause determination and in many cases Beacon or an accelerant detection canine can find that evidence within minutes," said Captain Craig Matthews, Beacon's handler.
The handler expects the pair will respond to roughly 80 investigations per year across the Baltimore Washington area.
Accelerant detection dogs like Beacon play a crucial role in arson investigations by quickly identifying potential evidence that human investigators might miss or take much longer to find. Their specialized training allows them to detect even trace amounts of flammable substances that could indicate intentional fire setting.
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