When you think of fires, your first thought may be firefighters. However, fire investigators are also an important part of fighting fires. Fire investigators serve different purposes state to state. Locally, Yuma fire investigators determine the origin and cause of fires. The cause may be natural for example, if lightning were to strike a fire or the cause may be accidental for example a stove fire. If the fire is an arson fire intentionally set, then it becomes a police investigation as well. “The fire investigators function as subject matter experts for fire behavior,” said Mike Erfert public information officer with Yuma Fire Department.