The ’92 Fire Investigator’s Report

Manuel Vasquez, a deputy state fire marshal, filed it a month after the fire. It ruled out accidental causes and stated the fire was intentionally set. The report, along with the trial testimony, became central pillars in the state’s case against Willingham.

Many prominent fire scientists now dispute Vasquez’s report, saying it relied on an outdated understanding of arson evidence. See the following: Gerald Hurst’s interview with FRONTLINE and his 2004 supplemental report that was filed with one of Willingham’s final appeals; Craig Beyler’s report [PDF] in 2009 for the Texas Forensic Science Commission, in which he calls the type of science used in Willingham’s case “folklore”; and the John Lentini-chaired report [PDF] that was compiled in 2006 for The Innocence Project.