Which term best describes the systematic process used to determine how a fire started?

• A. Evidence collection
• B. Scene safety assessment
• C. Investigation and methodology
• D. Victim interview

Answer: (C)

Think of determining how a fire started as a disciplined, step-by-step process. The phrase that best captures this is the investigation and methodology, because it describes the structured approach investigators use to examine a scene, collect evidence, interview witnesses, analyze information, and form theories about origin and cause. Evidence collection and victim interviews are important parts of that process, and scene safety assessment is a necessary prerequisite, but they are components within the overall systematic method. The investigation and methodology, by definition, encompasses the full, repeatable process used to reach conclusions about how the fire began.