Accelerant Sniffing Canines Play Vital Role In Furniture Plant Fire Investigation

ECRU, MISS. (WCBI) – It wasn’t long after the decision was made to bring in the ATF’s National Response Team, that Ryan Shanklin and his six year old lab, Wrigley, were assigned the case.  Wrigley is trained to sniff out traces of ignitable liquid accelerants that may have been used to start a fire.

“We’re not necessarily looking for a point of origin; we’re just looking for ignitable liquid,” Shanklin said.

Shanklin is an investigator with the Tennessee Fire Marshal’s Office.  He and Wrigley partner with the ATF whenever their expertise is needed.  As other agents are doing their work, and tracking down leads, Shanklin is leading Wrigley through the fire scene.

“The challenge is going to be debris, hazards, we have to keep a close eye on what is he going through as far as hazards, things we have noticed here, staples, we have to keep a close eye on him , his pads, feet to make sure we don’t get him unnecessarily injured,” Shanklin said.

For the demonstration with Wrigley, a couple of drops of gasoline were placed on a plastic lid and it was Wrigley’s job to find it and alert his handler.  It is the same principle inside the American Furniture warehouse where Wrigley has spent the past few days looking for any evidence of accelerants.

“It is going to increase our chances of getting the best available samples that are on scene, available for us,” Shanklin said.

Any samples collected are turned over to other experts for analysis.

Accelerant Detecting K 9s like Wrigley are rewarded with food for their skills.