This Nose Knows Fishy Fires

NASHVILLE, TN -- Meet Spencer. See Spencer sniff. See Spencer track. See Spencer detect the presence of flammable materials and accelerants. See Spencer solve arsons.

This week is Arson Awareness Week so there's no better time for Spencer, a certified arson dog, to join the Nashville Fire Department. Tuesday, he and his human partner, Fire Investigator Mark Sells, showed off their skills at NFD's training facility on Buena Vista Pike.

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Spencer is one of 400 certified arson dogs attached to departments nationwide as part of a program sponsored by State Farm Insurance, with the dogs trained by a specialized academy in Maine.

Arson dogs can detect the presence of accelerants common in arson fires, assisting human investigators with pinpointing the cause of the fires.

Photo via Nashville Fire Department